Signs and Symptoms

While some types of neuromuscular disorders are first evident in infancy or early childhood, other types may not appear until later in life. The severity of symptoms, the age at which the symptoms appear, how fast the symptoms progress, and what pattern of inheritance the disorder follows, are all factors that differ among the various forms of muscular dystrophy. Symptoms of neuromuscular disease can include any or some of the following:

• Poor balance with frequent falls
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty walking or running
• Difficulty performing sports
• Difficulty going up stairs
• Difficulty rising from a chair or getting up from lying position
• Difficult getting on or off the toilet
• Difficulty raising or keeping your arms up
• Resulting in loss of function muscle loss, soreness, cramps or pain
• Fatigue, daytime sleepiness or morning headaches
• Difficulty breathing including or especially when lying down
• Drooping eyelids