dbltree
Distinguished member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2013
- Messages
- 217
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 01/2013
- Country
- US
- State
- Iowa
- City
- Birmingham
I'm kind of a curious, research oriented kind of guy so there always things I wonder about? I searched this forum site repeatedly to attempt to see where my symptoms fit in, recognizing that there is often no "normal" when it comes to ALS.
I found the following description of upper and lower motor neurons helpful in part because when all of the tests were done...I had no idea what they were doing?
I share that because in my case LMN signs are clearly present but UMN are not that obvious(now that I know what they were doing!)
That said...my right hand/arm has profound weakness and atrophy and this is where it started about 10 months ago. My left arm/hand has very little weakness but atrophy is worse the right side?
Legs have no atrophy, weakness is in right leg/ankle but I do not have a drop foot?
Having read all the comments that weakness comes first and atrophy much later...I'm just curious? I am on the Deanna Protocol and again am curious as how it is affecting progression (since we are all different...nearly impossible to say?)
I also exercise and my exercise regime has been steady with no loss of ability to do any exercises over past 3 months.
How common is it to have atrophy before weakness?
How can my left arm have so much atrophy yet functionally still be the same?
My right leg has weakness and has had for 6 months yet it has no atrophy?
Just things I'm curious about...
I found the following description of upper and lower motor neurons helpful in part because when all of the tests were done...I had no idea what they were doing?
The classical signs of UMN lesions are usually stated as: weakness, increased tendon reflexes, spasticity and an extensor plantar response.[8] However, when there is additional neurogenic weakness due to LMN lesion in the same limb the tendon reflexes are often not clearly increased, spasticity cannot be demonstrated, supposedly because of the LMN weakness and the plantar response may be difficult to elicit, a difficulty often ascribed to differential weakness in toe and ankle flexor and extensor muscles. The plantar response is extensor in only some 50% of patients with ALS.[9]
The typical signs of LMN lesions are: weakness, muscle wasting, fasciculation, reduced tone and absent or reduced tendon reflexes
I share that because in my case LMN signs are clearly present but UMN are not that obvious(now that I know what they were doing!)
That said...my right hand/arm has profound weakness and atrophy and this is where it started about 10 months ago. My left arm/hand has very little weakness but atrophy is worse the right side?
Legs have no atrophy, weakness is in right leg/ankle but I do not have a drop foot?
Having read all the comments that weakness comes first and atrophy much later...I'm just curious? I am on the Deanna Protocol and again am curious as how it is affecting progression (since we are all different...nearly impossible to say?)
I also exercise and my exercise regime has been steady with no loss of ability to do any exercises over past 3 months.
How common is it to have atrophy before weakness?
How can my left arm have so much atrophy yet functionally still be the same?
My right leg has weakness and has had for 6 months yet it has no atrophy?
Just things I'm curious about...