Is ALS painful? Some of the pain ALS may cause are pressure sores, muscle aches or cramps, swelling feet, and muscle contractions.
What Does “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis” Mean? A-myo-trophic” comes from the Greek language. “A” means no or negative. “Myo” refers to muscle, and “Trophic” means nourishment—“No muscle nourishment.” When a muscle has no nourishment, it “atrophies” or wastes away. “Lateral” identifies the areas in a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that nourish the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening–“sclerosis”–in the region. Why Is It Also Known As “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”? Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player in the U.S. during the 1930’s, became afflicted with ALS/MND. He was known as baseball’s “Iron man”, playing in 2,130 consecutive games at first base for the New York Yankees. Lou Gehrig was a true superstar. But, at the peak of a glorious career, he was diagnosed as having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He died two years later at the age of 38.
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- Is ALS painful? Some of the pain ALS may cause are pressure sores, muscle aches or cramps, swelling feet, and muscle contractions.
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