muscle atrophy

[cbean]

teen age boy, had a tibial osteotomy, january, of this year, taylor spatial
frame used has been unable to bear weight since day one, have taken him to neurologist, neuropsyche, he is a very, unmotivated person which
doesnt , help , has had 3 pt's this last one told us there was no quadricep muscle thats why he couldnt walk, and after intense pt, the last few months he still has only gained a small,, small musccle, still unable to walk, uses crutces, is, he ever going to walk , so many other
disfiguring things are occuring to him from his , lazy attitude with his body
i am concerned with hips and arms, since he just lays on the crutches
can anyone help me

[Dr. Joshua]

Thanks for your question and sorry about the delay in answering. This is a complicated problem and unfortunately I cannot offer any specific advice over the Internet. Definitely a good thing that a multidisciplinary team has evaluated his situation, including neurologist and psychiatrist, and ongoing physical therapy. Another positive thing that with months of physiotherapy he has gained muscle mass, so there has been some improvement. I think it would be important to talk to the surgeon who performed the operation, explain to them the current situation and see if they are satisfied with the progress or not, and what are their suggestions from this point on. Express your concerns and make specific questions to the physical therapist and also his psychiatrist. See if you can get a consultation with a physiatrist in order to get further expert input on the training program.

[kerry47]

Hello Friends......

Muscle atrophy is defined as a decrease in the mass of the muscle; it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle. When a muscle atrophies, this leads to muscle weakness,since the ability to exert force is related to mass.

Thanks