Neuromuscular Disease Care

The Rush Approach to Neuromuscular Diseases

We know that living with a neuromuscular disease — particularly a progressive one — can make many aspects of your life more challenging. At Rush, our goal is to help make that burden lighter wherever we can.

That's why neuromuscular disease care at Rush uses a team approach to address complex neuromuscular diseases such as ALS, myasthenia gravis and muscular dystrophy.

We bring together comprehensive medical and psychological support plus physical, occupational and speech therapy as needed. We know that each person we see has a different set of needs and circumstances — which is why we tailor your treatment to fit those needs.

Rush Excellence in Neuromuscular Disease Care

• Diagnosing neuromuscular conditions: The Rush neuromuscular disease team is skilled at identifying neuromuscular diseases, even in the earliest stages. An earlier diagnosis can help you better manage and treat progressive diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The team offers electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies for a more thorough diagnosis and evaluation.
• Team approach to care: Because neuromuscular diseases can affect nerves and muscles throughout your body, you will get the most comprehensive treatment when multiple specialists are part of your care. This is often called multidisciplinary care. That's why the neuromuscular team at Rush includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, with other specialties as needed.
• Muscular dystrophy care center: The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) named Rush University Medical Center an MDA Care Center. According to the MDA, care centers offer a higher level of muscular dystrophy care and medical research. Rush also offers specialized pediatric muscular dystrophy care.
• ALS affiliate center: Rush University Medical Center is an affiliate of the Greater Chicago Chapter of the ALS Association. That means Rush provides ALS care that includes multiple specialties and follows gold-standard guidelines for care. It also means Rush offers services in a supportive atmosphere with an emphasis on improving your quality of life.
• Multiple locations for your convenience: We understand that neuromuscular diseases can limit your mobility and make it harder for you to come to our multidisciplinary neuromuscular care center in Chicago. That's why we also have neuromuscular specialists in Oak Brook and a pediatric neuromuscular specialist in Aurora.