The Benefit of Physical Therapy for Charcot Marie Tooth Patients TINs motto Helping those with CMT remain physically able as we work to find a cure

Whether you call it physical therapy or physiotherapy (PT), many of us suffering with Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) have had to seek that kind of help for injury or to help us restore and/or maintain physical functionality while fighting this neuromuscular condition.

Physical therapy and physiotherapy are often considered synonymous. Physiotherapy (as it is more commonly called in Europe, Canada, or Australia) has historically been more focused on movement and manual therapy, stretches and massages. Physical therapy practices a more holistic approach that includes hands-on therapy but includes exercise-based paths to restoring or maintaining physical function. Today they use many of the same treatments (thermotherapy, ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS], etc.) and both embrace holistic treatment approaches.

Still, many CMT patients wonder if physical therapy is truly helpful. Due to the lack of any type of curative medical treatment for CMT, it is important to know what kind of help is beneficial for dealing with foot deformities and week muscles in the legs/ankles and lower arm/hands.

In a 2020 study entitled Aspects Concerning Physical Therapy’s Role in Helping the Patient Suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Recover, researchers monitored an adolescent male who participated in a customized movement and exercise treatment program supplemented by heat therapy, hydrotherapy and massage. Post- treatment data showed that the patient had reduced pain, increased joint mobility and improvement in balance. They concluded that continuous rehabilitation through physical therapy can improve a patient’s walking stability and overall physical functioning capabilities.

These findings were echoed by the 2021 study Impact of Customized and Sustained Physiotherapy in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease which aimed to show that “consistency in performing physiotherapeutic exercises helps in gaining maximum possible functional independence”. Following electrical stimulation and a variety of strengthening exercises the patient showed substantial improvement in strength, range of motion, gait and balance.

Researchers in a 2024 study entitled Effects of intensive rehabilitation on functioning in patients with mild and moderate Charcot–Marie-Tooth disease: a real-practice retrospective study administered an intensive 3 week physiotherapy program (5 days/week) consisting of PT-guided exercises, aerobic activity, electrical stimulation and pressure, laser and ultrasound therapies. After administration of this program, their results showed that muscle strength, pain, fatigue, cramps, balance and walking speed and ability all improved.

A key finding to note from this study is that all of these outcomes returned to their original levels after 12 months. Citing the lack of continuity in physical activity after discharge, researchers concluded that continued participation in rehabilitation activities plays a central role in reducing the disabilities brought on by CMT in order to maintain and/or gain maximum possible functional independence.

As always consult with your doctor or see a licensed physical therapist to help guide you. But the message continues keep moving, moving, moving!

Author: Teresa M. Carroll, PhD (Therapies for Inherited Neuropathies; TIN)