Abstract
Neuromuscular disorders are complex, difficult both to differentiate and to manage. Yet nurses, who encounter a symptomatically diverse neuromuscular patient population in various practice settings, are expected to be well versed in managing the variable associated symptoms of these disorders. Here the authors discuss how to assess such neuromuscular conditions as muscle tightness, spasticity, and clonus; the pathophysiology underlying each; and the available recommended treatments, an understanding of which is necessary for successful symptom management and clear provider-patient communication.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 34-40 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | American Journal of Nursing |
| Volume | 118 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Rozina Bhimani is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, where Frank Medina is a research assistant in the College of Liberal Arts and Lisa Carney-Anderson is an assistant professor in the School of Medicine, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology. Contact author: Rozina Bhimani, bhim0001@umn.edu. This article was supported by a grant presented to Dr. Bhimani from the Nursing Foundation, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota (No. 1701-11304-21296). The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- clonus
- movement disorders
- muscle tightness
- neuromuscular disorders
- spasticity