Physical Therapist News and Resources

Patients with SMA often spend the majority of their time either in their wheelchair or in their bed. Since they can be fairly limited to these two places, it is important to increase their independence within those areas. Although my patient with SMA, Michael, will most likely not be able…

Understanding SMA Stasimon contributes to the loss of sensory synapses and motor neuron death in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy.1 In this paper, the authors elucidate a mechanism of the motor neuron degeneration that occurs in SMA. Specifically, the authors found that dysfunction of Stasimon, a protein of…

2019 was a year of significant progress in our understanding of SMA and how to best address it – clinically and otherwise. Below is a roundup of some of the final SMA data shared in late 2019. Understanding SMA The classical complement pathway mediates microglia-dependent remodeling of spinal motor circuits…

With patients that are diagnosed with SMA, they can have a hard time controlling their neck and trunk, which makes it more difficult to be independent with chair mobility, such as ascending and descending ramps, as well as assisting with transfers. When first starting these exercises, it is…