Nerve and Muscle Program

The Nerve and Muscle Program evaluates and treats patients with a wide variety of neuromuscular diseases. Examples of such diseases include: Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, Lou Gehrig's disease, and muscular dystrophy. EMG and nerve conduction studies and muscle biopsies are performed whenever necessary. The full range of available services includes; medical, physical, and occupational therapy, respiratory and nutritional care, orthotics, social work, and medical and rehabilitation supplies. EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies: The neuromuscular program provides a state of the art EMG laboratory, performing routine, as well as specialized nerve conduction and electromyographic studies.  In addition to the faculty, the lab is staffed by two experienced and certified technologists. Chemodenervation:  The Neuromuscular Division provides chemodenervation therapy for various movement disorders. Botulinum toxin therapy is available for focal dystonias, such as: spasmodic torticollis, blepharospasm, and writer's cramp and also for disorders such as hemifacial spasm. Patients who do not respond to botulinum toxin or who become resistant to it, receive injections of phenol. Chemo denervation is performed under EMG guidance, ensuring that the most active muscles are injected.  Research: The Neuromuscular Division is active in clinical research and was part of a multi center trial evaluating the effects of recombinant human nerve growth factor on diabetic neuropathy. The neuromuscular faculty is also involved in basic science research and projects have included evaluation of the effects of glucosteroids on rat and human muscle.