Author Archives: Emily Jones

SMA News Today · #118: Aging and SMA   Long before Scholar Rock began its Phase 3 pivotal trial of apitegromab, the FDA had awarded Scholar Rock with…

Michael, my physical therapy patient with SMA, recently decided to have a subcutaneous port voluntarily implanted in his chest. As SMA patients age, and due to their disease, these patients may spend more time in the hospital than most, especially around the flu and pneumonia seasons. Due to having difficulty…

A standing frame is a chair attached to a device that raises the chair into an upright position and has support for legs and feet as well as a table for upper extremity support once in a standing position. Standing frames can be used to reach many different goals by…

The relationship between a physical therapist and patient is very important for many reasons and should be an open, honest, and trusting relationship. This is especially important when you are working with someone with SMA, or another neurological disorder, who you will most likely be seeing long-term. It is important…

Since beginning Michael’s physical therapy in October 2017, we have been focusing on improving flexibility and increasing stability in his core musculature. This has greatly improved Michael’s ability to ascend and descend ramps with improved stability and has reduced his pain while sitting throughout the day in his wheelchair. Also,…

There are many different modalities and activities that have been successful in progressing Michael, our patient with SMA, towards reaching his goals of less pain during activities as well as increased independence. Over the past four years, we have attempted many different techniques with Michael and have noted the ones…

Recently, Michael, our patient with SMA, has exhibited some increased tenderness and reduced tissue mobility to his calf muscles bilaterally. This is no surprise since he doesn’t wear footrests and is constantly in a plantarflexed, or toe-down position. In this position, his calf muscles are constantly in a shortened…

As mentioned in our previous article, Michael, our patient with SMA, had been suffering from tailbone pain that was subsided by a modified stuck drawer technique to his sacrum. We had initially intended on performing this every other week, but since Michael has been having no complaints of pain, we…

Our bodies are not designed to sit all day long. We are designed to absorb shock through many different joints throughout the day, such as hips, knees, and ankles. When a patient is unable to use the lower half of their body and must sit all day, all that pressure…

A frequent complaint and limitation for patients that have been diagnosed with SMA is lack of flexibility throughout their body. Contractures, or shortening of muscles leading to deformity of joints, can occur secondary to lack of ability to perform active range of motion and being in a seated position for…