Thank you very much for your interest in our paper [1], “Evaluation of the association between neck pain and the trapezius muscles in patients with cervical myelopathy using motor evoked potential: a retrospective study.” Thank you very much for your very valuable comments. We responded to the best of our ability at this time.

1. First, we would like to appreciate the researcher for clearly and concisely describing the informative and interesting introduction part. It enhances our interest in studying more about neck pain and its association with the trapezius muscle in patients with cervical myelopathy using the motor-evoked potential, it helps us to become aware of the new information about the motor-evoked potential. The study shows that the stability of cervical vertebrae and the neck extensor muscles are important in the prevention of bending and rotation, which the reader can easily comprehend. In this scientific research, the introduction part was lacking the hypothesis of this study.

Response: Our study began with the following hypotheses: In patients with cervical myelopathy, preoperative neck pain is hypothesized to be associated with abnormal trapezius muscle activity.

2. Secondly, in the literature method and material section, there was no information about how to calculate the sample size for the research. In this scientific literature, the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the participants were not mentioned clearly. According to several studies, it is recommended to consider age and gender specifications when recruiting participants, as the aging process can lead to wear and tear of cervical ligaments. However, this study lacks literature discussing the area of neck pain (whether bilateral or unilateral), the stage of myelopathy, paraesthesia, and body mass index, as these factors can contribute to increased neck pain [2,3]. Furthermore, the study fails to specify exclusion criteria, and there is a lack of reference in the measurement section.

Response: The analysis was performed on the cases that could be collected, and sample size calculations were not available. Cases in which spinal cord monitoring was not possible due to epilepsy or other reasons were excluded. As you indicated, age and gender were not specified in this study, since there were no significant differences between the two groups. Thank you for providing us with this valuable literature. In this case, we did not conduct a detailed interview regarding the left and right sides with regard to neck pain. The preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association score is tabulated below, as is the BMI, although there are no clear stage criteria (Table 1). Our report on methods is similar [4].

3. Third, in the results section, there was a lack of assessment of data normality, and even duplication of data was observed [5]. Moreover, this research article did not clearly address confounding factors for latency, amplitude, and cross-sectional area.

Response: As you point out, we were not able to examine those confounding factors.