ALS

About ALS 

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects motor neurons.  Motor neurons activate muscles contractions and, without stimulation, muscles atrophy.  As voluntary muscle action is affected, people lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe.  Your therapy team will provide important support as you face these changes and therapy is available at our clinics in Huntsville, AL and Decatur, AL.

Physical Therapy for ALS

Physical therapy addresses pain, walking and mobility, bracing and equipment needs to help you stay independent. They will prescribe a program of therapuetic exercises to maximize your muscle strength,  low-impact exercises to help maintain your cardiovascular fitness, and stretches to help prevent pain and help your muscles function at their best.  They will help you adjust to a brace, walker or wheelchair and suggest devices such as ramps that make it easier for you to get around.

Occupational Therapy for ALS

Occupational therapy helps you find ways to remain independent despite hand and arm weakness. They prescribe adaptive equipment to help you perform activities such as dressing, grooming, eating and bathing.  They also help you modify your home to allow accessibility if you have trouble walking safely.

Speech Therapy for ALS

Speech therapy trains you in adaptive techniques to make your speech more understandable. They also help you explore other methods of communication, such as tablet computers with text-to-speech applications, computer-based equipment with synthesized speech, an alphabet board or pen and paper to help you communicate.