Neuromuscular medicine is a subspecialty of
neurology
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...
and
physiatry that focuses the diagnosis and management of
neuromuscular disease
A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neuromuscular junction, or skeletal muscle, all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and wea ...
s. The field encompasses issues related to both diagnosis and management of these conditions, including rehabilitation interventions to optimize the quality of life of individuals with these conditions.
This field encompasses disorders that impact both adults and children. Neuromuscular disease can be caused by
autoimmune
In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease". ...
disorders,
genetic or hereditary disorders
such as
channelopathies, or
neurodegenerative diseases
A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophi ...
. Because they frequently have no cure, the focus is managing the condition to provide improvements in the patients quality.
is a new frontier for neurological rehabilitation treatments.
Diagnostic tools
The tools used to diagnose
neuromuscular disorders
A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neuromuscular junction, or skeletal muscle, all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and wea ...
include
nerve
A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system.
A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the ...
and
muscle biopsies,
electromyography
Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyo ...
,
nerve conduction studies, and molecular and
genetic tests.
See also
*
List of neuromuscular disorders
Below is a partial list of neuromuscular disorders.
Affecting muscle Muscular dystrophies Dystrophinopathies
* Duchenne muscular dystrophy
* Becker muscular dystrophy
* DMD-associated dilated cardiomyopathy
Limb girdle muscular dystrophie ...
*
Muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of mus ...
*
Motor neuron diseases
Motor neuron diseases or motor neurone diseases (MNDs) are a group of rare neurodegenerative disorders that selectively affect motor neurons, the cells which control voluntary muscles of the body. They include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AL ...
References
External links
American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuromuscular medicine
Neurophysiology
Neurology