CMT PATIENTS HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF FALLING
posted: Dec. 22, 2019.
Why would someone with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) go to a podiatrist? "Podiatrists receive extensive training in identification of sites of potential skin breakdown, before becoming serious, leading to more effective treatment. Not only do these nerve problems lead to a lack of sensation, the disease produces changes to the nerves controlling various muscles, making it a motor neuropathy," says Conway McLean, DPM.
Dr. Conway McLean |
"One of the most frequent consequences is weakness of the muscles that pull the foot up, which leads to tripping. If the foot which is not planted on the ground (the one swinging through the air) is not pulled up high enough to clear the ground, the toes will catch the supporting surface, and down you go," says Dr. McLean.
Source: Mining Journal
Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News.