Preview

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
700 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Assessment Essay
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) is a specific disorder that involves the death of neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is characterized by stiff muscles, muscle twitching and gradually working weakness due to muscles decreasing in size. Also, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis results in a difficulty speaking, swelling, and eventually not being able to breath on your Niown. ALS affects the brain and spinal chord muscles which leads to death or no control over these voluntary muscles.
The cause of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) is unknown in about ninety five percent of cases and the other five percent are inherited from a parent. There is no known cure for
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, however, …show more content…
Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within three to five years from receiving the symptoms. Difficulty in chewing and swallowing makes eating very difficult and increases the risk of choking or of aspirating food into the lungs. In later stages of the disorder aspiration pneumonia can develop, and maintaining a healthy weight can become a significant problem that may require a feeding tube. Physical therapy plays a large role in rehabilitation for individuals with ALS. Specifically, physical and occupational therapists can set goals and promote benefits for individuals with ALS by delaying loss of strength, maintaining endurance, limiting pain, preventing complications, and promoting functional …show more content…
Low-impact activities of daily living, walking, swimming, and stationary bicycling can strengthen unaffected muscles, improve cardiovascular health, and help patients fight fatigue and depression. Range of motion and stretching exercises can help prevent painful spasticity and shortening of muscles. Physical and occupational therapists can show you exercises that provide these benefits without overworking muscles. They can suggest devices such as ramps, braces, walkers, bathroom equipment like shower chairs, toilet risers, and wheelchairs that help patients remain mobile. Occupational therapists can provide or recommend equipment and adaptations to enable people to retain as much safety and independence in activities of daily living as possible. In conclusion, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a deadly disease that can be controlled but can also be deadly.

Works Cited
"Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)." : Symptoms and Signs. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2016.
MacIntosh, James. "Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Neurology / Neuroscience ALS: Causes, Symp- toms and Treatments." MediLexicon International Limited., n.d. Web
"Symptoms and Diagnosis." The ALS Association. N.p., n.d. Web.
"What Is a Ventilator?" - NHLBI, NIH.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Provide Support for Mobility
    • 2409 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Provide Support for Mobility

    No matter an individuals age, level of disability or infirmity it is important that everyone maintains some level of exercise. There are a vast range of disabilities and conditions which can result in mobility difficulties. Some of the most common on-going or permanent conditions result from muscular and skeletal disabilities and from on-going medical conditions which affect mobility. Some examples of disabilities and conditions which can have an impact on mobility are: Back and neck problems, accidents or injury leading to long term disability, arthritis and any other condition affecting the joints, dementia, amputation, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, partial or total paralysis, cerebral palsy and head injury. Other conditions such as respiratory and cardiac diseases, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer and AIDS can all have an impact on co-ordination, dexterity, strength, speed and stamina. There are a vast range of health conditions which can be improved by mobility, here are a few. After an individual has suffered a stroke areas of their body will be weak and it is important that a physiotherapist devises a programme of exercise to strengthen the weak areas in order to regain the mobility. After joint surgery such as hip replacement exercise is key to making a full recovery and mobility of the joint. For individuals who are asthmatic or with chest problems, exercise can expand airways to make breathing easier.…

    • 2409 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Case Study 4

    • 1348 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Case Study 4

    Because motor neurons degenerate with ALS, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to become smaller. Therefore limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Steve Dronett's Role In Sports
    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Steve Dronett's Role In Sports

    Researchers found that ALS was commonly diagnosed in athletes. Ever since the career of Lou Gehrig a former baseball player was cut short by ALS, the disease has been forever linked to elite athletes. Lou Gehrig was a former baseball player for the NY Yankees. In 1939 Gehrig was having a hard time in his baseball career. He began to have difficulty with something as simple as tying his shoelaces. He checked himself into a Mayo Clinic, where after a series of tests, doctors informed him that he was suffering from ALS. On June 2, 1941, he passed away in his sleep at his home in New York. A team of doctors later found out that the amount to balls pitched and stuck to his head had caused head trauma to which then lead to…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lou Gehrig Research Paper
    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lou Gehrig Research Paper

    Many of us don’t know how deadly it can be sometimes! ALS which is short of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is not the disease you want to catch. Well known as the Lou Gehrig it’s a fatal disease that on average people live two to five years. The Effects of ALS often times can not be the most pleasant and affects the body quickly. Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend and was one of first famous people back in the day to get the disease. It’s a deadly disease!…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Causes And Symptoms Of Lou Gherigs Disease
    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Causes And Symptoms Of Lou Gherigs Disease

    Als is a very serious disease ths disease kills thousands of people every year. This disease is rare but very deadly. So pleaser take it very seriously. Als affects many people every single day. It takes many lives every year.…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Cause Of Lou Gehrig's Disease
    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Cause Of Lou Gehrig's Disease

    ALS disease is commonly known as Lou Gehrig disease. First, Lou’s career changed rapidly when he was diagnosed with ALS. “The great New York Yankees first baseman was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 and died two years later from the progressive neuromuscular disorder” (Aebischer). This passage suggests that Lou Gehrig had a very good life playing baseball until he was diagnosed with ALS and passed away. Next, Lou Gehrig was the man who discovered ALS, he may not have been the first to have had it. “Lou Gehrig was discovered by the disease, be he made it famous” (Bumas 3). This passage implies that people may not have been too familiar with Lou before he got ALS, but he has made that disease famous. Lastly, ALS took Lou Gehrig’s life too early. "Two years after Lou was diagnosed with ALS he passed away at the age of 37" (Gehrig 4). This…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bent Steel
    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Bent Steel

    definition. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal…

    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lou Gehrig's Disease In Sports
    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Lou Gehrig's Disease In Sports

    Recent studies have found that athletes are contracting ALS at a much younger age compared to the age most normal people are diagnosed with it. Scientists have been working day and night to find the answers to this. The results, have shown that repeated blows to the head can cause a toxic protein to leak across the brain which is what deteriorates the brain cells. Since this toxic protein can spread throughout the body, once it reaches the spinal cord, it begins to make the nerve cells wither away. A big factor of the toxic protein leaking, is repeated blows to the head, or repeated concussions without fully resting. Athletes are at the highest risk of getting ALS because they are constantly getting hit in the head multiple times a game and could end up getting multiple concussions per game, and maybe not realizing that they even have a concussion, since not everyone will pass out from getting one which usually makes people believe that they’re perfectly fine, but in reality their brain has been injured, however that is an internal injury, so it’s impossible to be sure. There are a multitude of other factors that can be associated with explaining why so many athletes are being diagnosed with ALS. One of the biggest factors, is the amount of rest an athlete is getting after receiving a concussion or just a severe head injury in…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lou Gehrigs Disease
    • 378 Words
    • 1 Page

    Lou Gehrigs Disease

    “Someone with ALS, even at an advanced stage, can still see, hear, smell, and feel touch. The nerves that carry feelings of hot, cold, pain, pressure, or even being tickled, are not affected by Lou Gehrig's disease. The parts of the brain that allow us to think, remember, and learn are also not affected by the disease. Most people who develop Lou Gehrig's disease are adults between 40 and 70. One of the tests, an electromyogram, or EMG, can show that muscles are not working because of damaged nerves. Other tests include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), blood, and urine evaluations. Sometimes a muscle or nerve biopsy is needed. A biopsy is when a doctor takes a tiny sample of tissue from the body to study under a microscope. Examining this tissue can help the doctor figure out what's making someone sick” (librarythinkquest.org).…

    • 378 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Importance Of ALS In Sports
    • 1569 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Importance Of ALS In Sports

    Studies show that the most common reason for ALS is because athletes are choosing to play with concussions, instead of resting. ALS impairs all physical function, but does not affect the mind. Doctors to this day have not found a cure for ALS. A person with ALS will start to feel weak to the body, and eventually be dependent on a spouse or family member to take care of them and their needs. A person with ALS cannot walk, or even talk without the assistance of a loved one. Most people with ALS are fed through feeding tubes. New developments have been created to allow a person with ALS to communicate with family members, such as the ability to type with movements of their eyes, and allowing the computer speak for them. Although many new developments have been created to fulfill a sense of comfort for a person with ALS, no new developments for a cure have…

    • 1569 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

    There are three forms of ALS: Sporadic, familial and Guamanian. The sporadic form of ALS is the most common form contributing to 95% off all cases. The familial form of ALS is based on heredity and contributes 5% of all cases. The third type, the Guamanian form of ALS was observed in in Guam in the 1950’s and much is known about this form of ALS (Alsa.org). The cause of ALS is unknown but researchers have discovered that majority of ALS cases are not based on heredity but based on a chromosome 21 abnormality (ghr.nlm.nih.gov). ALS seems to be more common in men than in women before age 65 and can commonly occur between the ages of 40 and 70, the sex difference disappears after the 70 years of age. The Prognosis for people living with ALS is extremely poor with the average life expectancy being 3 to 5 years. ALS is rapidly degenerative and very fatal, attacking the nerves of the body with the patient becoming completely paralyzed, the will lose the ability to speak, breathe and swallow, while the mind is completely alert. There is no cure and only one known pharmacological treatment that slows the progression for this disease.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Physical Therapy Benefits
    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Physical Therapy Benefits

    Physical therapist is provided in the patient's place of residence. While the majority of patients are senior citizens, there also are other patients who developmental disabilities or other conditions, and individuals of all ages who need help from a physical therapist because of injury or other causes. Home care may actually be provided in the patient's residence, a hospital emergency room, the caregiver's home, skilled nursing facility, residential facility, group home, hospice, or elsewhere in the community. In a hospice setting physical therapist provided to patients in the last phases of incurable disease so that they can do functional abilities for as long as possible and manage pain individuals of all ages who need help with rehabilitation because of injury or other causes. In a Research Center physical advisors and different experts conduct examination to enhance persistent/customer consideration results and backing the assemblage of learning in the field exercise based recuperation. In School/Preschool setting exercise based recuperation is given inside of an instructive domain, including preschool, basic, or auxiliary training offices But this determines a patient's ability to reintegrate into the workforce or community after illness or injury. Physical therapy benefits patients include victims of stroke, brain spinal cord burn or sports injuries post operative patient’s cerebral palsy patient’s arthritis sufferers and newborns with physical defects. Employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 36 percent from 2012 to 2022. For Patients to achieve these…

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Importance Of Occupational Therapy
    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Importance Of Occupational Therapy

    Occupational Therapy is a field that most people associate with Physical Therapy. However, these are two different fields. Physical therapy deals with helping a client to rehabilitate an injury like a torn ACL or a broken arm. Occupational therapy, on the other hand, is a form of treatment that facilitates the use of everyday activities. In most cases, occupational therapists work with people who have physical disabilities as well as some who have mental disabilities. “Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes (About Occupational Therapy). These tasks that these professionals do may also be used to help a client to learn a new way of living if they are in a life changing situation. They also help clients to be able to participate in learning situations as well as social. Therefore, as an occupational therapist, I will be working with kids using and working on their fine-motor development in order to help them succeed in the classroom as well as other aspects of their daily…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Professor Interview
    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Professor Interview

    Before she came to teach at Concordia University this year she was a TA at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has always loved science, so she decided to teach something she loved to students that were just as fascinated about science as she is. She gets enjoyment out of teaching and although it can be stressful she feels she can continue teaching here at Concordia University for a long time. While she was in college she did research on a protein found in the disease Lou Gehrig’s disease that was used for her dissertation. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a form of motor neuron disease. ALS is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. The condition is often called Lou Gehrig's disease in North America, after the famous New York Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939. Kane- Barnese did research on the protein APC that slows disease progression and extends survival. Therefore it is suggested that strategies designed to activate APC might be of benefit to patients with inherited, and possibly sporadic, ALS. She also helped isolate and characterize copper-zinc superoxide dismutase. Copper-zinc…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Physical Therapy Vs Occupational Therapy
    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Physical Therapy Vs Occupational Therapy

    Occupational therapy’s entire focus is to help the patient reach a level of independence. Kielhofner writes that occupational therapist provide treatment for individuals whose impairments interfere with participation in their everyday occupations (5). For patients who have been injured or diagnosed with a disease, it is heartbreaking to think that they may never be able to take care of themselves or work again. Getting them the capability to do as much as their situation will allow at the time is what occupational therapist strive for. Safe independence is the main purpose for occupational therapy, whether that is with the help of assistive equipment or just learning different ways to do basic tasks. Whereas physical therapists usually attempt reach a higher level of functioning physically. The goal in physical therapy is to get the actual joints and muscles as close to the original range of motion and strength as possible. Physical therapists try to get their patients to the highest level of activity. Whether that be the same as they were before the injury, slightly less, or even at times marginally better than the individual was before the injury.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics