Validity of the Turkish Translation of the Modified JOA

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Spondylosis, Cervical, Spinal Cord Compression

In brief

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common cause of non-traumatic spinal cord dysfunction in adults and may lead to progressive motor, sensory, and autonomic impairment. Accurate and standardized assessment of neurological function is essential for clinical decision-making, prognostic evaluation, and comparison of treatment outcomes. The Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score is one of the most widely used clinician-based outcome measures for evaluating neurological status in patients with DCM. Although the mJOA has been translated and validated in several languages, no validated Turkish version currently exists. This prospective, cross-sectional validation study aims to culturally adapt the mJOA score into Turkish and evaluate its validity, reliability, and clinical correlation in Turkish-speaking patients diagnosed with DCM. Adult patients (≥18 years) with clinically and radiologically confirmed DCM presenting to the outpatient clinics of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurosurgery will be included. Previously obtained cervical magnetic resonance imaging will be reviewed retrospectively to determine myelomalacia levels, while clinical scales will be administered prospectively. Construct validity will be assessed by examining correlations between the Turkish mJOA scores and the Neck Disability Index, as well as the Nurick grading system. Inter-rater reliability will be evaluated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC \[2,1\]) between two independent evaluators, and test-retest reliability will be assessed in clinically stable patients after 7-14 days. Feasibility will be evaluated by recording the administration time and potential difficulties during application. This study is expected to provide a valid and reliable Turkish version of the mJOA score, facilitating standardized assessment of DCM in Turkish clinical practice and enabling comparability with international research.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07448883

Run by

Izmir Democracy University

People needed

70

Starts

2026-05-10

Expected to finish

2027-05-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-13

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged 18 years and older
• Patients diagnosed with degenerative cervical myelopathy using clinical or magnetic resonance imaging
• Able to provide written informed consent to participate in the study
• Cognitive competence to understand Turkish forms and scales

You may not qualify if…

• Spinal cord injury due to trauma, tumor, infection, inflammatory diseases, etc., pathologies
• Previous cervical surgery
• Severe cognitive impairment or communication problems that would prevent participation in the study
• Subjects who were informed about the study but refused to participate

Where it is running

• Izmir Democracy University — Buca, İzmir, Turkey (Türkiye) (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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