MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Introduction

Muscular Dystrophy is a medical disability, often inherited. It damages and weakens the patient's muscles over time. This damage and weakness are blamed on the lack of a protein called dystrophin. This protein is crucial for normal muscle function. There is no cure for Muscular Dystrophy but take physiotherapy treatment for Muscular Dystrophy in Gurgaon is the way to move your body regularly. The absence of this protein can result in some serious problems related to walking, swallowing, and muscle coordination. 

More than 30 different kinds of muscular dystrophy have been reported. All of these vary in symptoms and severity. Muscular dystrophy can attack the person of any age, but the majority of the cases are detected among children. Young boys are more vulnerable as compared to girls. 

There's no fixed cure for muscular dystrophy. It is still a topic of debate and discussion. A few medicines and most importantly physical therapy can help alleviate the symptoms and slow down the development of this disease.here's no fixed cure for muscular dystrophy. It is still a topic of debate and discussion. A few medicines and most importantly physical therapy can help alleviate the symptoms and slow down the development of this disease.

Causes

The exact cause of Muscular Dystrophy is under debate. However, some schools of thought believe that Muscular Dystrophy is caused by mutations on the X chromosome. There are many types of this disorder and each type is said to be caused due to a different set of mutations. However, the similarity among them all is that they prevent the body from producing dystrophin. A point to be noted here is that Dystrophin is a protein indispensable to the human body. It is required by the body for building and repairing muscles.

Symptoms

There is no fixed set of signs and symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy as they vary from patient to patient. However, the most commonly reported symptoms are -

• Progressive muscular wasting
• Poor balance
• Scoliosis
• Frequent falls
• Finding it difficult to rise from a lying or sitting up position
• Trouble running and jumping
• Waddling gait
• Walking on the toes
• Large calf muscles
• Progressive inability to walk
• Waddling gait
• Calf deformation
• Muscle pain and stiffness
• Learning disabilities
• Limited range of movement
• Respiratory difficulty
• Cardiomyopathy
• Muscle spasms
• Gowers' sign

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy generally starts with the doctor examining the complete medical history of the patient, asking questions regarding the symptoms followed by conducting a physical examination. Generally, these are not sufficient to confirm the presence or absence of the disorder. Hence, the doctor may recommend tests like enzyme tests, electromyography, genetic testing, muscle biopsy, heart monitoring tests, and lung monitoring tests to take the proceedings further.

Treatment

No specific cure has been invented for the treatment of Muscular Dystrophy in Gurgaon till date. Some medicines and mostly physical therapy has been found helpful to alleviate the symptoms and keep the patient mobile for the longest possible time.

Patients with Muscular Dystrophy often struggle with a lot of everyday activities. Physiotherapy can help the patients effectively deal with a lot of neuro musculoskeletal problems. Physiotherapy can help slow down the digression of a range of motion, improve the muscle strength and the gait pattern. Physiotherapy also involves various stretching programs for the patients. It is a combination of a passive range of motion and active-assisted range of motion. Regular stretching of the ankle and hip is also involved.

The patient should not ignore the symptoms in the early stages and meet a qualified physiotherapist to get a personalized treatment plan developed. The physical therapy programme generally involves the following -

• Breathing assistance - General in the patients of Muscular Dystrophy it is noticed that the muscles used for breathing become weaker. It becomes important to use devices to help improve oxygen delivery through the night. In the most advanced cases of the disorder, a patient may need to use a ventilator to breathe on their behalf.
• Mobility aids - Some patients are also provided with canes, wheelchairs, and walkers. It helps to keep them mobile.
• Braces - Braces are used to keep the muscles and tendons stretched. Besides, it helps slow down their shortening. They also give the patient added support while moving.
• Range-of-motion and stretching exercises - It is often seen that Muscular Dystrophy restricts the flexibility of the joints resulting in a reduced mobility. Limbs of the patient often draw inward and become fixed in that position. Physiotherapists often suggest many Range-of-motion exercises that can help to keep the joints of the patient as flexible as possible.
• General exercises: A range of motion and stretching exercises form a part of the general exercises suggested to the patients of Muscular Dystrophy during physiotherapy sessions. It helps fight the unavoidable inward movement of the limbs as muscles and tendons shorten. Limbs of the patient tend to become fixed in position. These exercises along with some others keep them mobile for longer. Among the other exercises suggested are the standard low-impact aerobic exercises like walking and swimming. These can also help slow down the development of the disease into something serious.

       Courtesy: Pal physiotherapy