Neuromuscular Services

 

Living with a neuromuscular disease that hinders your ability to walk and communicate can be challenging. At MUSC Health, our specialists provide treatments and rehabilitation therapies that help you remain active and enjoying life.

Neuromuscular Services at MUSC Health: Why Choose Us?

When you come to MUSC Health for treatment of a neuromuscular disorder, you benefit from:

  • Patient-Centered Care: Our team of experts follows best-practice guidelines to treat each patient’s neuromuscular disorder, using the latest research to inform our care. We consider your individual needs and preferences to develop a personalized treatment plan that offers you a high quality of life. Our doctors work closely with your primary care physician to ensure your treatment plan provides the desired results.
  • Teamwork: Every member of your care team has specialized training in the intricacies of neuromuscular diseases. Team members include neurologists, physiatrists, nurse practitioners, speech, occupational, and physical therapists, genetic counselors, dietitians, social workers, and psychologists. Meet your team.
  • Convenience: At our main campus in downtown Charleston, our nurse coordinator works with you to schedule appointments with all of your specialists on the same visit, saving you time and travel. We also see patients with neuromuscular problems at our Mount Pleasant clinic location. See our clinic locations.
  • Rehabilitation Services: Specialists in our occupational therapy neurological rehabilitation services program tailor treatment plans to your specific needs. We work with you to help you maintain the highest level of function and independence in daily activities.
  • Innovative Therapies: As the state’s only academic medical center, MUSC Health actively participates in clinical trials and research. Our researchers are dedicated to identifying causes of these conditions, finding ways to slow or halt the progression of neuromuscular diseases and improving care. Talk to your doctor to find out if you are eligible for a clinical trial.
  • Concierge Services: Our guest services staff is here to help with travel and lodging arrangements or other needs.

Neuromuscular Disease Care at MUSC Health

We offer several clinics for people with neuromuscular diseases. All MUSC Health clinics feature advanced diagnostic testing in accredited laboratories, rehabilitation services, post-clinic care coordination, and social services. Our clinics include:

Muscular Dystrophy Association® (MDA) Care Center

Our MDA Care Center was the first in South Carolina established by the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Here, patients with a variety of neuromuscular disorders meet regularly with experts for diagnosis, follow-up care, trial opportunities, and therapies. You also have access to MDA representatives and family care specialists.

Our clinic experts specialize in treating people who have:

  • Muscular Dystrophies: A group of inherited diseases that causes progressive muscle loss and weakness.
  • Myasthenia Gravis: An autoimmune disorder, and less commonly a congenital condition, that disrupts communication between nerves and muscles leading to muscle weakness.
  • Hereditary Peripheral Neuropathy: An inherited disease of the peripheral nerves that can hinder movement, sensory input, and autonomic function.
  • Myopathy: A group of inherited diseases related to autoimmune disorders or metabolic conditions that causes muscle weakness.

ALS Clinic

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects one’s ability to walk, talk, swallow, hold items, and breathe. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS occurs when nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain progressively deteriorate.

Our ALS experts and the multidisciplinary team work with you and your loved ones to slow the disease progression. We use best-evidence guidelines, backed by research, to help you manage symptoms through a variety of services, including physical, occupational, speech, and nutritional therapies.

Evaluation and assistance from social workers and psychologists help to achieve the high quality of life and care. We are an ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence and a member of the Northeast ALS (NEALS) consortium. Learn more about the ALS Clinic.

Neuromuscular Clinic

Our Neuromuscular Clinic aids the diagnosis and treatment of people with neuromuscular problems, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome or diseases of the peripheral nerves or muscles related to the underlying medical conditions.

Patients may undergo diagnostic tests, such as nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG), in our neurophysiology lab. MUSC Health’s neurophysiology lab is the first and only accredited one of its kind in South Carolina. Other diagnostic tests include nerve and muscle ultrasounds, and skin, nerve, and muscle biopsies.

Spasticity Clinic

Experts at our Spasticity Clinic provide treatments for people suffering from spasticity due to spinal cord disorders and injuries. Spasticity causes muscles to uncontrollably tighten or contract. Appropriate treatment reduces pain and improves function.

Contact Us

To learn more about neuromuscular disease services available at MUSC Health or to schedule an appointment, please call 843-792-3223.

Refer a Patient

Submit an online appointment referral form or call our 24-hour referring physician service, MEDULINE, at 800-922-5250.