Neurology
The neurology team at Main Line Health treats and manages conditions such as migraines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and more.
Better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a degenerative condition that causes the nerve cells in the brain and spine to fail to send signals to the muscles in the body. Without this communication, the muscles “atrophy,” gradually weakening and wasting away. This affects the person’s ability to control movement, ultimately leading to paralysis and the inability to use the muscles required to eat and breathe. Although the average survival time with ALS is three to five years, there are treatments and medications that can help minimize a person’s symptoms and some people live well beyond five years.
ALS symptoms may look like clumsiness at first. If you have ALS you may have difficulty grasping hold of things or may drop things easily. You may trip more easily or have difficulty walking and maintaining balance.
Other symptoms of ALS may include:
In spite of the changes that happen as the disease progresses, people with ALS retain their mental abilities and are able to control their eyes and bladder.
Treatment for ALS patients generally involves participation of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, pharmacists, occupational and home health therapists, nutritionists and social workers. While there is no cure for the disease, therapies such as these may relieve your symptoms and discomfort:
The neurology team at Main Line Health treats and manages conditions such as migraines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and more.
Main Line Health’s lung health experts and pulmonology specialists treat a wide range of conditions that affect the lungs and respiratory tract.