Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 15,000 people in the United States each year.
ALS onset occurs usually between the ages of 40 and 72. Up to 10% of ALS cases are hereditary (genetic), and the remainder occur sporadically.
Early symptoms of ALS include muscle weakness, stiffness, twitching, and atrophy (wasting). Muscles of speaking, swallowing, breathing, and arms/legs/trunk can be affected.
Austin Neuromuscular Center is part of the Northeast Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Consortium (NEALS). We are committed to patients and their families to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and up to date care in the management of ALS in our multidisciplinary clinic.
As part of our commitment, we provide the opportunity for our patients to participate in clinical trials to help the advancement of ALS research.
For more information about ALS, visit The ALS Association website.
Management of ALS requires treatment by multiple coordinating specialties to allow for holistic care of each patient.
Every third Tuesday of the month, we conduct a multi-disciplinary ALS clinic providing comprehensive care to our ALS patients. At your visit, you will be evaluated by our team of Neuromuscular providers along with:
- ALS Association Representatives: ALSA https://www.alstexas.org
- Adaptive Mobility Representatives
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication Device Representative
- Dietitian
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Respiratory Therapist
- Social Worker
- Speech Language Pathologist
