Living with muscular dystrophy, in addition to mobility impairment, affects the individuals’ everyday way of life. They typically require assistance with moving and exercises to help maintain mobility, all while accommodating to their specific needs. 

Muscular dystrophy and mobility impairment essentially go hand in hand. Generally speaking, the patient can experience weakness in areas such as their muscles, heart and lungs, which contribute to the inability to move around in a conventional manner. The use of equipment including wheelchairs, ventilators, and transportation devices can be extremely helpful in this situation, but this often still requires the assistance of a support worker. 

Today, let’s dive into the negative effects muscular dystrophy has on mobility impairment, and how experienced support workers can help. 

What is Muscular Dystrophy? 

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder where a group of diseases attack the muscles, which leads to them becoming weaker over time. These specific genes interfere with the production of healthy muscles. Due to their becoming more fragile as the condition progresses, performing everyday tasks and activities can become increasingly exhausting for the patient. 

Muscular dystrophy is more common in males. However, it can present itself in many different forms throughout life in both sexes. Symptoms typically include delayed or stunted growth, frequent falling, waddling, and learning disabilities. Varieties of muscular dystrophy range from common to rare forms, but all should be diagnosed and addressed by an experienced practitioner as soon as symptoms appear.

How is Mobility Affected? 

When diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, the patient experiences a loss of muscle strength, which can cause spasms and cramps. This can also lead to fatigue, especially when walking longer distances. Mobility can also start to diminish when weakness occurs in the torso, effectively causing the spine to curve. 

While every form of muscular dystrophy affects a body part in a unique way, the premise is the same. Individuals will gradually begin to feel the affects the disease has on their body, which can become more noticeable over time. They may experience difficulties when jumping, running, or getting up from certain positions. Treatment plans are necessary to keep the patient comfortable and safe, which can include equipment such as wheelchairs and occupational therapy. 

How Support Workers Help

Support workers can care for those with muscular dystrophy in many ways, leaning into their expertise. Learning about the disease can be overwhelming for the patient and family members involved, but support workers are there to make the process smooth and comfortable, minimizing stress as best as possible. From general assistance to long-term care, these support workers offer services that they are specifically trained in, possibly including mobility exercises and related treatments.

Due to the many symptoms of muscular dystrophy, a patient may require surgery or frequent physical therapy sessions to cope with their ongoing muscle complications. At C-Care, we care; our support workers are there every step of the way to provide assistance with mobility and post-surgery everyday needs. From specialized physiotherapy to exercises, medication monitoring and more, we are experienced in muscular dystrophy caregiving.

We believe in putting your comfort, safety and peace of mind first with informed and effective caregiving services. If you or a loved one needs assistance with muscular dystrophy and a related mobility impairment, reach out to us today.

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1. The basics

   The muscles in the lower body are usually affected first, including the hips and pelvic area. Eventually, shoulder muscles will also weaken while the skeletal muscles of the upper body will then follow. Symptoms present themselves between the ages of three and five; while this disease is mostly found in boys, it can occur in girls in rare cases. The symptoms are not noticeable at birth and although they are mild at the beginning, they will worsen over time.

2. Warning Signs
• Your child is late to start walking; when they do walk, their walk may appear more like a waddle
• Difficulty standing up or climbing
• You may feel like your child slips through your hands when you pick them up because of the loose muscles in the shoulder area.
• Clumsiness and frequent falling
• Enlarged calf muscles
• Walking on their toes or balls of feet (older children)
• May use their hands to get up off the floor
• Difficulty with running
• Other developmental delays, including speech delays
3. Day-to-day life

   Muscular dystrophy is a serious condition that will shorten life, but the life expectancy of those with muscle dystrophy has dramatically increased due to advances. Life expectancy into the mid-30s is very common and some men even live into their 50s.

   Aside from issues with mobility and the eventual use of wheelchair, children with with muscle dystrophy can lead relatively normal lives for some time. Complications such as breathing and heart problems begin to occur between the ages of nine and 11, which is around the time they will require the use of a wheelchair. They will also need to be regularly monitored and will have a team of healthcare professionals in his or her life. This will magnify over time, particularly when your child reaches his or her teens.

C-Care Health Services offers a variety of affordable, personalized and high quality services. Contact us today for more.

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The different types of muscular dystrophy have their own unique symptoms that also overlap. Muscular dystrophy leads to significant loss of function and can be challenging for those people who have to go through the process of the disease.

Muscular Dystrophy

With muscular dystrophy, specific muscles can be affected. Children have been observed to have more severe forms of muscular dystrophy. Common symptoms include a loss of intellectual ability and muscle weakness.

Children who fall frequently or have difficulty running can indicate the presence of the disease. As muscles become weaker, the development of motor skills can be inhibited along with a loss of muscle density.

Types of Muscular Dystrophy

Because Muscular Dystrophy has many different types, the symptoms of each can vary.

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy primarily affects boys. When it does occur in females, the symptoms have a tendency to be less severe.
  Common symptoms include a late onset of speech, difficulty climbing stairs, and behavioural and learning challenges.
• Myotonic dystrophy affects smaller muscles of the face and neck. The condition leads to the wasting and weakening of muscles and appears at any point in life. Both males and females can be equally affected by myotonic dystrophy.
  Symptoms can include stiff muscles, difficulty swallowing, cataracts, and cardiac arrhythmia.
• Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy also affects both males and females. However, it has been observed that men are often affected early in life with more severe symptoms.
  Symptoms in young children can appear as difficulty in closing their eyes completely, or the inability to close their eyes when sleeping.
  Shoulder pain and weakness in the muscles of the upper arms calves, and face are also symptoms of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
• Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy does not usually appear until later in life. Symptoms appear between ages of 50 and 60 years old and affect the muscle activity of the eyes and throat.
  Over time, movement of the eyes becomes limited and eyelids can become droopy, causing the vision to be impaired.

Understanding the symptoms of muscular dystrophy can help you detect any abnormal functions in you or your loved ones. Because many forms of the disease begin in childhood, it can be a valuable way to address any problems early. If you notice any excessive symptoms that might indicate the presence of muscular dystrophy, refer to a specialist as soon as you can.

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