Neuromuscular Disorders Specialist
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Neuroclinics
Romer Mosquera, M.D.
Board Certified Neurologist & Clinical Neurophysiologist located in Miami, FL
Neuromuscular disorders begin in your nerves but affect your muscles, causing weakness and muscle loss that gets worse over time. Board-certified neurologist Romer Mosquera, MD, provides individualized care that focuses on your symptoms, slows progressive weakness, and improves your quality of life. If you notice changes in your muscle strength or symptoms like tingling, call Dr. Mosquera at Neuroclinics in Miami, Florida, today or book an appointment online.
Neuromuscular Disorders Q & A
What are neuromuscular disorders?
Neuromuscular disorders are muscle diseases that happen when the nerves that trigger muscle movement are damaged. When these nerves stop working, the affected muscle weakens and wastes away.
Some neuromuscular disorders, called myopathies, develop when the muscle fibers are injured or weakened by an underlying disease.
Neuromuscular disorders can affect any muscle, including the muscles in your heart and those that control your breathing.
What are the different types of neuromuscular disorders?
You can inherit a neuromuscular disorder or get it because of an autoimmune disease, enzyme deficiency, or other medical conditions.
The different categories of neuromuscular disorders include:
- Muscular dystrophies
- Spinal muscular atrophies
- Inflammatory neuropathies
- Peripheral nerve diseases
- Neuromuscular junction diseases
- Metabolic muscle diseases
- Inflammatory, metabolic, and other myopathies
Each category includes many different diseases. A few examples include Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, myositis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne is one of nine types of MD.
What symptoms develop if I have a neuromuscular disorder?
The symptoms you develop are determined by the type of disorder and the muscles affected by the disease. You can experience:
- Weak muscles
- Muscle loss
- Muscle pain
- Muscle twitching or cramping
- Changes in the way you move
- Trouble with balance
- Tingling or numbness
- Droopy eyelids
- Double vision
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hard time breathing
Symptoms can start in infancy, childhood, or adulthood, depending on the neuromuscular disorder.
How are neuromuscular disorders diagnosed?
After completing a physical exam and checking your reflexes and muscle strength, your provider could order blood tests or diagnostic imaging.
Your provider at Neuroclinics also does electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS). These diagnostic procedures show if you have a problem with your nerves, muscles, or nerve-to-muscle communication.
You could also have an evoked potential test (EP). An EP helps diagnose muscle function and nerve damage by recording nerve activity in response to a specific type of stimulation.
How are neuromuscular disorders treated?
Treatment for neuromuscular disorders focuses on easing your symptoms and slowing down the disease’s progression. Your provider at Neuroclinics customizes your treatment, combining options like medications, chronic pain management, and surgery when needed.
Your provider also refers you to specialists to ensure that you get other treatments that support your quality of life. For example, you might need physical therapy, occupational therapy, pulmonary medicine specialists, or an ophthalmologist.
If you develop muscle weakness or unusual muscle movements, call Neuroclinics today or book an appointment online.
