Neuromuscular Disorders

Health → Bones, Joints and Muscles →

Summary

Neuromuscular disorders affect your neuromuscular system. They can cause problems with

The nerves that control your muscles
Your muscles
Communication between your nerves and muscles

These disorders can cause your muscles to become weak and waste away. You may also have symptoms such as spasms, twitching, and pain.

Examples of neuromuscular disorders include

There can be different causes for these diseases. Many of them are genetic.This means they are inherited (run in families) or are caused by a new mutation in your genes. Some neuromuscular disorders are autoimmune diseases. Sometimes the cause is not known.

Many neuromuscular diseases have no cure. But treatments may improve symptoms, increase mobility, and lengthen life.

Start Here

Learn About Neuromuscular Disease (Muscular Dystrophy Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

Electromyography (EMG) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Use of Botulinum Neurotoxin Injections to Treat Spasticity (American Academy of Neurology) - PDF

Living With

Exercising with a Muscle Disease (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF

Related Issues

Dressing with Ease, Style and Comfort (ALS Association) - PDF
Preparing for Emergencies: A Checklist for People with Neuromuscular Diseases (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF Also in Spanish

Specifics

Apraxia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Congenital Myasthenia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Congenital Myopathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Hypertonia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Isaac's Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Kearns-Sayre Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Mitochondrial Myopathies (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF Also in Spanish
Mitochondrial Myopathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary
Monomelic Amyotrophy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Motor Neuron Diseases (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary
Motor Neuron Diseases (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Myotonia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Myotonia Congenita (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Opsoclonus Myoclonus (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Piriformis Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Primary Lateral Sclerosis (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Spasticity (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Stiff-Person Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Thyrotoxic Myopathy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Troyer Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Genetics

Genetics and Neuromuscular Diseases (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF Also in Spanish
Genetics Home Reference: ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Christianson syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital myasthenic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: distal hereditary motor neuropathy, type II (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary hyperekplexia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: infantile-onset ascending hereditary spastic paralysis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: multiple pterygium syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Schwartz-Jampel syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Silver syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 11 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 15 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 2 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 31 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 3A (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 4 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 49 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 5A (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 7 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: spastic paraplegia type 8 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Troyer syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

Nerve conduction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Muscle Spasticity (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Neuromuscular Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

EMG (Electromyography) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Learning to Live with Neuromuscular Disease: A Message for Parents (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF Also in Spanish

Women

Pregnancy and Childbirth with Neuromuscular Disease (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF

Patient Handouts

Apraxia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hand or foot spasms (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Muscle atrophy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Muscle function loss (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Muscle twitching (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Myotonia congenita (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spasticity (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Basics

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Research

Resources

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