Table 1.

in – and exclusioncriteria

Inclusion	Exclusion
60 years or older	Previous cervical surgery for myelopathic signs and symptoms
Cervical myelopathic symptoms and or signs at neurologic examination	Solely radiculopathy, or most important complaint
Stenosis of cervical spinal canal at MRI	Unable to undergo MRI
Lordotic shape at lateral cervical plain radiograph, or at lateral cervical radiograph in extension	Life expectancy less than 2 years
Informed consent	Other diseases interfering with neurologic symptoms and signs, for example spinal cord glioma, thoracic herniated disc with spinal cord compression, multiple sclerosis etc.
	Rheumatoid arthritis
	Trauma to the neck in history
	Diseases interfering with rehabilitation, for example severe cardiac congestive disease.
	Participation in another study