Muscular system diseases, sometimes referred to as muscular dystrophies, are a group of diseases that affect your muscular system. Muscular system diseases are usually genetic and chronic conditions, and more than 30 conditions fall into this category. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for any type of muscular system disease.
However, there are treatment options available that can help you live a normal life despite having a muscular system disease. Treatment options include medications, therapies, and exercises, and they have all been shown to help with the symptoms of muscular system diseases.
There are several medications that can help ease the symptoms of muscular system diseases and keep your muscles functioning as normally as possible.
Depending on what type of muscular system disease you have, you might need corrective surgery. This can help ease the tension or contrarian of your spine or certain muscles that are constantly tensed.
While medications and surgery can help with muscular system diseases, therapy is often the best treatment.
Because muscular system diseases inhibit your ability to walk, stand, and perform other activities of daily living, you will need physical therapy to retain these abilities. Physical therapy will help strengthen your muscles, learn new ways of doing things, and maintain your independence.
Over time, you may start to lose your ability to speak and swallow. Speech therapy will be necessary to repair these problems so that you can continue speaking, eating, and drinking.
Muscle system diseases can also lead to respiratory problems because of how the disease affects your heart and lungs. Breathing exercises with a respiratory therapist can help strengthen your heart and lungs and keep these organs from failing.
A skilled therapist will also teach you range-of-motion exercises, breathing exercises, and other things you can do on your own to stay strong and healthy.
As your muscular system disease progresses, there is a good chance you will need mobility aids. These aids, such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and more, can help you retain your mobility and reduce the risks of falling and injuring yourself.
As with all treatment programs, there might be side effects when you take medications for muscle system diseases. Most notably, taking steroids for a long period of time can weaken your bones and cause you to gain weight. This can put you at risk of broken bones, joint pain, and muscle pain.
There are, however, no known side effects to therapy, mobility aids, or surgery to treat muscle system diseases.
The goal of treating muscular system diseases is not to cure the disease, instead, it’s to help a person live independently and normally for as long as possible. Eventually, however, muscular dystrophy diseases take their toll and will leave their victims in need of constant supervision and assistance. Treatment can hold this off, however, for as long as possible.