Your body contains different types of muscles. Some, like the heart, move without your control. Those are called involuntary muscles. Some muscles, like those that move your eyelids, are part involuntary (they move without your control when blinking) and part voluntary, meaning you can control them if you choose to. Fully voluntary muscles include your arm, leg, and hand muscles; you can control when and how they move.
Any conditions that affect voluntary muscles are grouped as a neuromuscular disorder. The most common of these include:
-
Lou Gehrig's disease; also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Muscle weakness due to endocrine abnormalities
- Diseases of the peripheral nerve
Tests
MedStar Health interdisciplinary teams are experienced in diagnosing and treating neuromuscular disorders and often use the following test to determine the specifics of your condition:
- Nerve conduction and electromyogram: These tests measure the ability of nerves to conduct impulses to muscle, as well as the electrical activity of muscle
- Serum enzyme test: Many, but not all, neuromuscular diseases cause a significant increase in the muscle protein levels found in the blood. This test determines what your levels are
- Muscle biopsy: For some neuromuscular diseases, a small amount of muscle is removed and then analyzed for abnormalities in the number of proteins within the cells, as well as for characteristic changes in muscle composition
Treatments for MS with Dr. Harel
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Our locations
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MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
3800 Reservoir Rd. NW Washington, DC, 20007
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
18101 Prince Philip Dr. Olney, MD 20832
MedStar Health: Spine Center at Chevy Chase
5454 Wisconsin Ave. Barlow Bldg. 11th Floor Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301-215-4470
MedStar Health: Spine Center at McLean
1420 Beverly Road Ste. 210 McLean, VA 22101
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
201 E. University Pkwy. Baltimore, MD 21218
MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
5601 Loch Raven Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21239
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
9000 Franklin Square Dr. Baltimore, MD 21237