Neuromuscular disorders & diseases

Neuromuscular conditions can be caused by injury, an autoimmune response, the immune system or other causes. Some can be inherited. The thing they have in common is that they affect how your nerves and muscles work. Each condition has different treatments based on its cause and symptoms.

Whether you have minor pain or uncontrollable muscle movements, we’ll work with you to diagnose your condition and recommend treatments to minimize your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Types of neuromuscular disorders

Some of the neuromuscular conditions we treat are:

• Dysautonomia: Affects the autonomic nervous system (nerves that operate without conscious control).
• Dystonia: Affects different body parts with involuntary muscle movements.
• Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS): Immune system condition that affects peripheral nerves.
• Isaacs syndrome: Also known as neuromyotonia. May be partly inherited and partly acquired. Affects peripheral nerves.
• Leukodystrophy: A rare, neurological disorder that affects the function of the central nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord.
• Lou Gehrig’s disease: Also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Affects brain and spinal cord.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS): Immune system condition that affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
• Myasthenia gravis (MG): Autoimmune disease that affects voluntary muscles.
• Myoclonus: A quick, jerking motion that you can’t control.
• Myopathy: Group of disorders. Affects voluntary muscle movement.
• Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS): Affects peripheral nervous system and causes severe pain in the shoulder and arm. Also known as neuralgic amyotrophy (NA).
• Peripheral neuropathy: Group of disorders. Affects the brain and spinal cord.
• Postherpetic neuralgia: Nerve pain that lingers after having had shingles.

Symptoms of neuromuscular conditions

Neuromuscular disorder symptoms depend on the cause of the condition and the types of symptoms you have. Symptoms are different for every person. Some of the most common effects on muscles or nerves include:

• Numbness or tingling
• Radiating or burning pain
• Spasms
• Stiffness
• Uncontrollable movements (dyskinesias)
• Weakness

Diagnosing neuromuscular conditions

When you have symptoms that indicate a possible neuromuscular disease, you may be referred to a neurology specialist. They’ll perform a physical exam, ask about your neuromuscular disorder symptoms and test your muscle strength. They may order a variety of testing for neuromuscular diseases, including electromyography (EMG), ultrasound, MRI, genetic tests, or a biopsy of affected muscles or nerves.