American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [680]
Treatment
Muscular dystrophy has no specific treatment. Doctors and caregivers usually focus on relieving the symptoms, helping the child perform activities of daily living, and making his or her life as comfortable as possible. The effects of muscular dystrophy can be reduced significantly by staying active and keeping the body as flexible, upright, and mobile as possible. A physical therapist will work with the child to teach him or her to perform range-of-motion exercises to prevent the tendons (bands of tissue that support the joints) from shortening and causing the joints to stiffen. Braces on the hands and lower legs can also help keep the limbs stretched and flexible. Most children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy need a wheelchair full-time by about age 12, which helps them remain active and independent. In some cases, doctors prescribe corticosteroids, which may help slow the loss of muscle function and increase strength. Ask your doctor or the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association about support groups, summer camps, and other services that might be available in your community for people with muscular dystrophy and their families.
14
Disorders of the Bones, Muscles, and Joints
Bones, muscles, and joints provide the body a supportive framework that allows flexibility of movement. All movement, including the movement of the organs inside the body, is carried out by muscles, which can do their job because they are composed of tissues that can contract.
Voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms and legs, are under conscious control. For example, if you want to bend your elbow, your brain instructs your biceps muscle to contract; if you want to straighten your arm, your brain signals your biceps muscle to relax and instructs your triceps muscle to contract. These brain signals are sent through the nervous system. Involuntary muscles, such as those in the heart and the digestive tract, function without your conscious control or awareness.
The 206 bones of the skeleton serve mainly as a support system for the body. Some bones also cover and protect organs. For example, the skull protects the brain, and the rib cage and bones of the spine (vertebrae) shield the heart, lungs, and, to some extent, upper abdominal organs such as the stomach, liver, and kidneys.
Bones are composed of living cells embedded in a dense framework of collagen (the protein that provides structure and strength to tissues) and saturated with the minerals calcium and phosphorus. This framework both stores these minerals and supplies them to the rest of the body when needed. Inside some bones is a soft core of bone marrow, which manufactures blood cells. Some bones, such as those of the skull, are joined closely together in childhood by virtually immovable connective fibers called sutures.
Joints are the movable connections between bones that enable the bones to move in relation to each other. There are many different types of joints in the body. The vertebrae (the bones in the spine) can move only slightly in relation to each other, but provide enough flexibility over the entire spine to allow the back to bend. Hinge joints, such as those in the fingers, permit movement primarily backward and forward. Ball-and-socket joints such as the shoulders and hips are more versatile than hinge joints and allow the limbs to bend, twist, turn, and move in almost any direction.
How the Skeleton and Muscles Work Together
Skeletal muscles are attached to two or more bones. When a muscle contracts, the bones to which it is attached move. Muscles usually work in coordinated groups; contraction of one muscle causes relaxation of another. Some muscles stabilize nearby joints.
Involuntary muscles
Involuntary muscles are not under conscious control—they do not contract or relax in response to your decision to move them. Instead, they work automatically under the influence of the autonomic nervous system. Involuntary muscles include muscles that push food through the digestive tract and muscles that control sweating and blood