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Symptoms usually appear before age 6 and may appear as early as infancy. They may include:FatigueMental retardation (possible, but does not worsen over time)Muscle weakness Begins in the legs and pelvis, but also occurs less severely in the arm...
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Both Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy initially affect skeletal muscle. Muscle weakness is the first symptom.
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Both Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy initially affect skeletal muscle. Muscle weakness is the first symptom.
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True muscle weakness means that full effort does not produce a normal muscle contraction or movement. A voluntary muscle contraction is generated when the brain sends a signal through the spinal cord and nerves to a muscle.
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Weakness is a reduction in the strength of one or more muscles.Weakness may be generalized(total body weakness) or localized to only one area, side of the body, limb, or muscle. Weakness is more notable when it is localized.
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Falls are a common source of injury, particularly in the elderly population. They are more likely to occur if impairments in balance, strength, perception, joint range of motion, postural function or coordination are present.
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Unsteady gait is a symptom of instability while walking. Problems with walking can be due to disease or injury to the legs, feet, spine, or brain.
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Gait and balance problems exist when a disease process, trauma, or aging result in the inability to control one''s center of gravity(COG) over the base of support(BOS) in static or dynamic tasks and environments.Any number of factors may contribute...
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Gait or walking is a coordinated action of the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems. The coordination of muscle contraction, joint movement, and sensory perception allows the human body to move in the environment.
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Gait training refers to helping a patient relearn to walk safely and efficiently. Gait training is usually done by rehabilitation specialists who evaluate the abnormalities in the person''s gait and employ such treatments as strengthening and balan...
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A contracture is a tightening of muscle, tendons, ligaments, or skin that prevents normal movement.
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Walking abnormalities are unusual and uncontrollable walk patterns, usually caused by diseases or injuries to the legs, feet, brain, spine, or inner ear.The pattern of how a person walks is called their gait. Many different types of walking a...
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Uncoordinated movement is muscle control problem or an inability to finely coordinate movements, which results in a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the middle of the body(trunk) and unsteady gait(walking style). The condition is called ataxi...
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Ataxia, a medical term originated from the Greek language meaning"without order," refers to disturbances in the control of body posture, motor coordination, speech control, and eye movements. Several brain areas, including the cerebellum and the s...
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Detailed information on ataxia, including sporadic ataxia and the hereditary ataxias
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Ataxia, an extreme lack of coordination of the muscles, is a symptom of damage to the central nervous system. People with ataxia typically stand with feet planted far apart, and sway while standing, struggling to maintain balance.
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Developmental coordination disorder is diagnosed when children do not develop normal motor coordination(coordination of movements involving the voluntary muscles).Developmental coordination disorder has been known by many other names, some of whic...
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A Harvard Medical School doctor answers your question about the cause of sudden leg weakness and fatigue.
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Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.Fatigue is different from drowsiness. In general, drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation.
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally. It is the body''s way of signaling its need for rest and sleep.
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Boosting Your Energy provides information on the causes and treatments of persistent fatigue. Includes information on aging and energy, eating for energy, and boosting your energy.
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Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
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If you regularly feel weary after waking from a good night's sleep or for no apparent reason, it's time to find out why.
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If the fatigue is related to a decrease in hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, then replacing the red blood cells by transfusion or taking erythropoietin can help reduce fatigue. If the fatigue is not related to this, then it is important that the person with cancer learn ways to conserve energy. Energy is like money, and people only have a limited amount of it. Think carefully about how to spend it. What activities are most important? What activities help restore energy? These are the activities that people with cancer should spend their energy on. They need to ask for help to do the rest of the activities.
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Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally. It is the body''s way of signaling its need for rest and sleep.
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Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or loss of strength. The duration of fatigue for a patient with cancer has been found to last from one to two times the length of time between diagnosis and completion of treatment, so it is common for fatigue to...
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If the person on chemotherapy has decreased hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, and it seems like the low hemoglobin level will last for a while, then a medicine called PROCRIT® (Epoetin alfa) may be prescribed. This medicine is given as an injection to keep the hemoglobin at a higher level. This can sometimes manage fatigue. PROCRIT is for anemic chemotherapy patients with most types of cancer.
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We currently understand some of the causes of fatigue but not all of them. Fatigue may be related to physical changes caused by cancer or its treatment (chemotherapy, biotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery). It is reported that the fatigue people get when receiving cancer treatment is more severe than the fatigue healthy people get. In addition, this fatigue lasts longer and is not relieved by sleep. Studies have shown that low hemoglobin is also related to fatigue. Hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood, so if it is low, the body cells do not get as much oxygen as they need. Also, people who are not well nourished, who don't drink enough fluid and are dehydrated, or who are not able to move around much tend to have fatigue more easily. Finally, the way a person handles stress, thinks, or behaves can influence fatigue.
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Fatigue is a vague feeling of being tired, weak, or exhausted. It is often a symptom of cancer, when cancer is first diagnosed, or when cancer progresses (Ferrell et al, 1996). It is also the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Some people with cancer have described fatigue as being "tired to the bones” or "hitting a wall.” Others say it is the most distressing side effect of cancer treatment. Fatigue is different for everyone, so it is important that the person who is experiencing it describe how he or she feels. Fatigue may cause decreased ability to work or do physical activity. If the person with cancer is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on mental work or activity, then he or she may have attentional fatigue (Winningham and Barton-Burke, 2000). Depending upon its cause, fatigue can come and go or stay constant for a while. Fatigue from chemotherapy tends to occur a few days after the treatment, peaks, and then gets better before the next treatment. Fatigue from radiation doesn't happen right away. It develops over the first two to three weeks of treatment and then increases as the treatment continues. It may last three months or more after the treatment is finished. Attentional fatigue can last up until two or three years after treatment is completed.
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Fatigue is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It can be caused by worry, lack of sleep, and poor appetite. Fatigue can also be a sign of anemia (a shortage of red blood cells). This could require medical treatment. The tips below can help you feel better.
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Many people experience late-in-the-day energy lags, but you can take steps to prevent them.
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Being tired is the familiar aftermath of physical exertion, prolonged labor or lack of sleep. When does being tired become a symptom of a condition? Fatigue, malaise, lassitude, exhaustion are all subtle variations of the same subjective feelings of not having enough energy to meet the demands of one's life.
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Scoliosis is a curving of the spine. The spine curves away from the middle or sideways.Congenital(present at birth) scoliosis is due to a problem with the formation of the spine bones(vertebrae) or fused ribs during development in the womb.
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Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal side-to-side or front-to-back curvature of the spine.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears perfectly straight. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rota...
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Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears perfectly straight. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rotation of the vertebrae.
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Experts aren't sure what causes most scoliosis, but if anyone in your family has it, your child has a 20 percent chance of developing it.
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Beginning in childhood or adolescence, scoliosis curves the spine so that the shape of the body is distorted. The disease can cause pain, deformity, and other medical problems if not properly treated.
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Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears to form a straight vertical line. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rot...
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Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears perfectly straight. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rotation of the vertebrae.
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Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears to form a straight vertical line. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rot...
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Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Scoliosis is a side-to-side(lateral) curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears to form a straight vertical line. Scoliosis is a lateral(side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined w...
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The spine is a shaft comprised of over 25 small bones called vertebrae that support the upper body. The cervical spine (C-spine) is the upper portion, comprised of 7 vertebrae.
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