Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a genetic disorder that gradually weakens the muscles. Children born with MD can’t make the proteins the body needs to maintain healthy muscle tissue.
There are several major types of muscular dystrophy, each one affecting different sets of muscles and resulting in varying degrees of muscle weakness. In some cases, MD starts causing muscle problems in infancy; in others, symptoms don't appear until adulthood.
At Nemours, we provide diagnostic evaluation, treatment and follow-up care for children with MD and other neuromuscular diseases. Our goal is to improve muscle and joint function and slow muscle deterioration so that children with MD can live as actively and independently as possible.
Muscular Dystrophy: The Nemours Difference
Our Muscular Dystrophy Treatment Programs at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and the Nemours Children’s Clinics in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, are all approved Muscular Dystrophy Association clinics. This designation sets us apart and frequently allows these locations to serve as sites for clinical trials of the latest experimental therapies and drugs. Patients are seen by a multidisciplinary medical team consisting of Orthopedists, Pulmonologists, and Neurologists who work hand in hand to provide your child with the best possible care.
You’ll have other Nemours specialists working with you during muscular dystrophy treatments across many departments, including:
- Genetics
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Cardiology
- Nutrition
- Behavioral Health
Conditions We Treat
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Becker muscular dystrophy
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
- Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
- Rarer forms of MD, such as distal, ocular, oculopharyngeal, and Emery-Dreifuss
Services We Offer
- Speech therapy evaluation and treatment
- Occupational therapy evaluation and treatment
- Physical therapy evaluation and treatment
- Rehabilitation therapy evaluation and treatment
- Hearing tests
- Spasticity evaluation and treatment
- Bracing
- On-site wheelchair, splint, and repair clinic
- Assistive technology