It's more than just physical therapy: reported utilization of physiotherapy services for adults with neuromuscular disorders attending a specialist centre

摘要

Muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular disorders (NMD) are a heterogeneous group of conditions, typically producing chronic muscle weakness which may precipitate reduced function and participation [1-4]. Common forms of NMD include myotonic, facioscapulohumeral, Becker and Duchenne dystrophies, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and spinal muscular atrophy. There are over 40,000 people in the USA and 70,000 in Western Europe with severe symptoms related to this condition [4]. In the UK, there are approximately 60,000 people with varying manifestations of NMD [5], with an occurrence of 37 per 100 000 with inherited muscle disease in Northern England [6]. A review of services in the UK for adults with NMD has found that there is an inconsistency in the availability of specialist input for these conditions [5,7].