Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
What is ALS?
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Lou Gehrig was a baseball player in the 1920s and 1930s whose career ended because of ALS and passed away a few years afterward. ALS is a condition that affects the nerves in charge of muscle movement. Symptoms may include muscle stiffness, loss of muscle tone, muscle weakness, muscle twitches, cramps, fatigue, weight loss, shortness of breath, weak cough, extra saliva, inability to lie flat in bed, frequent chest infections, dificulty speaking or eating, and memory problems. Although genetics, exposure to toxic substances, viruses, and physical trauma can contribute to someone developing ALS, it’s more likely to develop sporadically. At the moment, there is no cure or treatment that completely stops or reverses ALS. However, a great treatment team can slow the progression of symptoms and drastically improve quality of life for individuals living with ALS.
"Released to Public: Physicist Stephen Hawking in Zero Gravity by Jim Campbell, Aero-News Network (NASA)" by pingnews.com is marked with CC PDM 1.0
I’ll admit, Stephen Hawking in Zero Gravity is not a standard depiction of ALS or physical therapy but my options for more relevant images that I can use without getting into legal trouble is very, VERY limited! I would not use Dr. Hawking as a personality role model, since he had a reputation for being very rude and unkind, but he is an easily recognized example for what ALS can look like if the condition becomes severe. He lived to be 76, despite being told he wouldn’t live to see his thirties. I like to imagine that most people are capable of smashing expectations like this, if they have accessible, high-quality healthcare.
Who should be on the care team for people with ALS?
I would hope to see primary care physicians, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists with neurology specialty, pharmacists, nutritionists, respiratory therapists, psychologists, social workers, and home care and hospice nurses on a complete, long-term care team for someone with ALS. Of course, there’s always exceptions to the rule and someone may need additional care from other specialists. I realize most of my fellow Americans would not be fortunate enough to afford all of these providers but I can still dream for it and fight for it.
How do physical therapists help people with ALS?
PTs can help individuals with exercises that keep their muscles as strong and flexible as possible. This helps people meet functional goals like being able to reach the rice that’s kept on a high shelf, dancing on a night out with friends, holding their newborn child, or walking and moving objects while shopping. PTs can also answer questions about how ALS could impact daily activities, give injury prevention advice, and make suggestions for helpful equipment. If a caregiver needs advice about helping someone with their exercises, daily activities, transferring between beds and seats and walking, or preventing pressure sores, PTs can help with that, too!
These resources are interesting places to start if you’d like to learn more!
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16729-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als
https://www.neuropt.org/docs/default-source/degenerative-diseases-sig/pt_and_als_3_29_15.pdf?sfvrsn=88dc4d43_2
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/most-people-with-als-dont-live-like-stephen-hawking
