Neuromuscular Conditions: A Closer Look
- Entrapment neuropathies (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar nerve entrapment)
- Radiculopathy (e.g. cervical or lumbar root impingement)
- Polyneuropathy (e.g. due to diabetes)
- Plexopathy (such brachial plexus injury lumbosacral plexopathy)
- Hereditary neuropathies (e.g. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease)
- Guillain-Barre
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Muscular dystrophy (such as Duchenne, fascioscapulohumeral, Becker, limb-girdle)
- Inflammatory myopathies (e.g. polymyositis, dermatomyositis, inclusion body myositis)
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Post-polio syndrome
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Neuromuscular disorders involve conditions that may result in muscle weakness or wasting. They can involve problems with the spinal cord (motor nerve cells), peripheral nerves, nerve-muscle junction (neuromuscular), or the muscle fibers. They can lead to gradual weakness and breakdown of the muscles and result in loss of function. Some of the common problems include muscle contractures, weakness, difficulty with mobility and selfcares, and sometimes difficulty with speech.