Clinical Significance

• Lumbar Radiculopathy

  • Description: Refers to a disease affecting the lumbar spinal nerve root, often involving compression of the nerve root.
  • Symptoms:
  • Can cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the buttock, leg, or foot.
  • The pain is often referred to as sciatica, as it radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve.
  • Mechanism:
  • The compression typically occurs due to herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or other spinal degenerative conditions.
  • It leads to referred pain, meaning the pain is felt in the leg rather than the lumbar spine.
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)

  • Description: A group of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies, characterized by a progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation in various parts of the body.
  • Symptoms:
  • Often involves muscle weakness, foot deformities, loss of sensation, and difficulty walking.
  • As the disease progresses, the Achilles tendon reflex may be diminished or absent due to nerve degeneration.
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)

  • Classification:
  • CMT is considered the most common inherited neurological disorder.
  • It was once categorized as a subtype of muscular dystrophy but is now recognized as a distinct neuropathy.
  • Prognosis:
  • Currently, there is no cure for CMT, and treatment focuses on symptom management and physical therapy to maintain mobility.