The Neuromuscular Program cares for patients with a wide variety of neuromuscular diseases. Our multi-specialty clinics use a combination of therapies, such as speech therapy, physical therapy, and other rehabilitation methods. We offer specialized testing for various disorders.
We have specialty clinics for those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and muscular dystrophy. We work closely with the following departments and programs:
Residents can learn more about our Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship.
Conditions we treat
We treat a range of neuromuscular conditions, including general conditions, conditions of the arms, and conditions of the legs.
General conditions
We treat the following general neuromuscular conditions:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease affecting the nervous system that has no known cure at this time. Our ALS Center is dedicated to finding its cause and effective treatment and provides education and support for patients and their families.
- Autonomic neuropathy is a group of symptoms caused by damage to nerves that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, bowel and bladder emptying, digestion, and other body functions.
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease defines a group of inherited, slowly progressive disorders that result from progressive damage to nerves. Symptoms include numbness and wasting of muscle tissue, first in the feet and legs, then in the hands and arms.
- Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy is nerve inflammation that results in loss of movement or sensation.
- Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes, in which nerves are damaged as a result of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).
- Guillain-Barre syndrome is a serious disorder that occurs when the body's defense (immune) system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. This leads to nerve inflammation that causes muscle weakness, which continues to get worse.
- Inclusion body myositis is a rare disease that occurs later in life and weakens muscles over time. While it does not cause pain and is not life-threatening, it can cause disability and particularly affects the arms and legs.
- Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that involve progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue.
- Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by variable weakness of voluntary muscles, which often improves with rest and worsens with activity. The condition is caused by an abnormal immune response.
- Myopathy is the weakness of muscle tissue due to problems with the muscle fibers. Symptoms can include cramping or stiffness and are often seen in patients with diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
- Neuralgia is pain that follows the path of a specific nerve.
- Polymyositis is a relatively uncommon inflammatory disease that causes significant muscle weakness.
Conditions of the arms
We treat the following neuromuscular conditions of the arms:
- Brachial plexopathy is decreased movement or sensation in the arm and shoulder due to a nerve problem.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is compression of the median nerve at the wrist, which may result in numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers.
- Cervical radiculopathy, or acute gouty arthritis, is a sudden attack of pain in the joints that occurs when uric acid builds up.
- Radial neuropathy, or radial nerve dysfunction, is a problem with the movement or sensation of the back of the arm (triceps), the forearm, or the hand.
- Ulnar neuropathy, or ulnar nerve dysfunction, is a problem with the nerve that travels from the wrist to the shoulder. The condition causes movement or sensation problems in the wrist and hand.
Conditions of the legs
We treat the following neuromuscular conditions of the legs:
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes, in which nerves are damaged as a result of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).
- Peripheral neuropathy is a problem with the nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord. This produces pain, loss of sensation, and inability to control muscles.
- Peroneal neuropathy, or common peroneal nerve dysfunction, is a disorder caused by damage to the peroneal nerve, characterized by loss of movement or sensation in the foot and leg.
- Sciatica is a condition involving pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or compression of the sciatic nerve.
- Tibial neuropathy, or tibial nerve dysfunction, is a loss of movement or sensation in the lower leg, caused by damage to the tibial nerve.