Muscular Dystrophy is a hereditary disease where the muscles waste away and progressively get weaker. There may be periods of time where the disease is at rest, and the muscles aren’t wasting away, but for the most part the muscles continue to get weaker and weaker. Through exercise and physiotherapy, the disease can be slowed. It is important to continue to mobilize the muscles as to prevent contractures. Contractures occur when a joint has become immobile for so long that it can no longer be moved at all. Though the disease itself results in progressive weakness, it is usually not painful. A person diagnosed with muscular dystrophy can sometimes experience cramping, though that is uncommon. There are different types of muscular dystrophies, …show more content…
Dystrophin, since it is a protein is responsible for muscle strength. Without Dystrophin the muscles will become weak. Females are the carrier of the disease, and it is passed through DNA on the recessive X chromosome. The female carrier may not have any signs or symptoms herself or have slight symptoms, but will still carry the disease and may pass it on to her male children. It is not passed on to females because females receive one X chromosome from their mother and one X chromosome from their father. This is why it only affects males, because, they receive one X chromosome from their mother and one Y chromosome from their father. They have a 50% chance of receiving the X chromosome from their mother that carries the muscular dystrophy. Women can carry the Muscular dystrophy gene and not even know it, and it is possible for it to skip multiple generations. A man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy cannot pass the disease on to his son, but he will pass it on to his daughter because females receive their fathers X chromosome, sons only receive the Y. When girls receive the flawed gene from one parent, the other parent’s gene usually makes up for the lack of protein from the flawed gene. They can, however, have slight muscular dystrophy, but not as severe as the