{"id":147,"date":"2007-11-14T11:25:21","date_gmt":"2007-11-14T11:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/wp_temp_dir\/?p=147"},"modified":"2024-05-02T17:30:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T17:30:56","slug":"massage-for-muscular-dystrophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/massage-for-muscular-dystrophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Massage Therapy Can Ease Symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In general, those who choose massage therapy as a profession share a genuine desire to help people. Wanting to help others is the cornerstone of <em>compassion<\/em>, defined by freedictionary.com as \u201cdeep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.\u201d When it comes to relieving the suffering caused by muscular dystrophy, massage therapists have the opportunity of a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p>Describing over 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and skeletal muscle degeneration, muscular dystrophy (MD) can occur in infancy, childhood or adulthood. The disorders differ in terms of the distribution and extent of muscle weakness, age of onset, rate of progression and pattern of inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>The primary types of MD include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Duchenne<\/em> \u2013 This is the most common form of MD and primarily affects boys. It is caused by the absence of dystrophin, a protein involved in maintaining the integrity of muscle. Onset is between 3 and 5 years and the disorder progresses rapidly. Most boys are unable to walk by age 12, and later need a respirator to breathe.<\/li>\n<li><em>Becker<\/em> \u2013 Becker MD is very similar to, but less severe than Duchenne MD. Those afflicted with Becker MD have faulty or not enough dystrophin. This form generally affects older boys and young men, and progresses more slowly, usually over several decades.<\/li>\n<li><em>Facioscapulohumeral<\/em> \u2013 Also known as Landouzy-Dejerine disease, this form of MD usually begins in the teenage years. It causes progressive weakness in muscles of the face, arms, legs, shoulders and chest. It progresses slowly and can vary in symptoms from mild to disabling.<\/li>\n<li><em>Myotonic<\/em> \u2013 Also known as Steinert\u2019s disease, this MD is the most common adult form and is typified by prolonged muscle spasms, cataracts, cardiac abnormalities and endocrine disturbances. Individuals with myotonic MD typically exhibit long, thin faces, drooping eyelids and a swan-like neck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Physiology<\/h3>\n<p>Both the Duchenne and Becker forms of MD revolve around a problem with, or the absence of, the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin is necessary for normal muscle tissue function. Here is a quick refresher to help place dystrophin\u2019s role in muscle physiology. Myosin, the muscle\u2019s thick filament, pulls on actin, the thin filament, by swiveling its head. This causes the actin to slide towards the M line, (the center of the muscle\u2019s sarcomere), shortening the muscle. Dystrophin has many spider-like links to actin, attaching actin to the endomysium (part of the muscle\u2019s tendon). Therefore, when actin slides towards the M line, the dystrophin pulls on the bone-surrounding endomysium, which ultimately creates movement. Therefore, a deficiency or lack of dystrophin has devastating effects on muscle movement, control and health.<\/p>\n<h3>Signs and Symptoms<\/h3>\n<p>Signs and symptoms vary according to the type of muscular dystrophy. Typical symptoms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Muscle weakness<\/li>\n<li>Lack of coordination<\/li>\n<li>Progressive crippling<\/li>\n<li>Involuntary muscle contractions<\/li>\n<li>Loss of mobility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many specific signs and symptoms vary from among the different forms of MD. Each type is different in the age of onset, what parts of the body the symptoms primarily affect and how rapidly the disease progresses. For example, signs and symptoms unique to Duchenne MD may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frequent falls<\/li>\n<li>Large calf muscles<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position<\/li>\n<li>Weakness in lower leg muscles, resulting in difficulty with running and jumping<\/li>\n<li>Waddling gait<\/li>\n<li>Mild mental retardation (in some cases)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Treatment<\/h3>\n<p>There is no specific treatment to stop or reverse any form of MD. Treatment plans are designed to help prevent or reduce deformities in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/programs\/advanced-anatomy-pathology-massage-ceu--E426.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">joints and spine<\/a><\/strong> and to allow people with MD to remain mobile as long as possible. While not curative, typical treatment approaches utilize medications, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, orthopedic appliances used for support, and corrective orthopedic surgery. Drug therapy includes corticosteroids to slow muscle degeneration, anticonvulsants to control seizures and muscle activity, immunosuppressants to delay damage to dying muscle cells and antibiotics to fight respiratory infections.<\/p>\n<p>A host of alternative treatments are often turned to for periodic, symptomatic relief for muscular dystrophy. In particular, massage therapy has been reported to ease a wide range of MD\u2019s symptoms including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Relieving muscle pain<\/li>\n<li>Relaxing tight or contracted muscles<\/li>\n<li>Increasing circulation in a deprived area<\/li>\n<li>Restoring some range of motion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since the goal of all bodywork is analogous to its application for muscular dystrophy, it almost appears massage is designed specifically for MD\u2019s symptoms. While never intended to replace or supersede a physician\u2019s advice, adding regular massage therapy sessions to a MD management plan can help reduce spasms, ease chronically tightened muscles, and improve the person\u2019s quality of life. By seeking to help those with muscular dystrophy, a practitioner\u2019s compassion can go a long, long way.<\/p>\n<h3>Recommended Study:<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/programs\/advanced-anatomy-pathology-massage-ceu--E426.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anatomy and Pathology<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about the main types of muscular dystrophy, as well as the disease\u2019s primary signs and symptoms. Also find out the benefits and therapeutic value massage treatment offers people suffering from muscular dystrophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6591,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147\/revisions\/6591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}