If your child has Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy isn't a risk you're trying to prevent. It's a progression you're tracking and managing from diagnosis forward. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Nearly every person with DMD will develop cardiomyopathy by adulthood. The cardiac muscle weakens for the same reason skeletal muscle does: the absence or malfunction of dystrophin, a protein that stabilizes muscle cell membranes during contraction. Without it, repeated contraction damages cells. In the heart, that damage is cumulative and irreversible. The monitoring protocol exists because early detection buys time. Heart medications started before imaging shows damage can preserve function for years. This isn't about catching a disease that might develop. It's about tracking a disease that will, and intervening while the muscle is still working. Why the Heart Is Affected. Dystrophin stabilizes muscle cells during contraction. The heart contracts about 100,000 times per day. Without dystrophin, each contraction causes microscopic tears in cardiac muscle cells. Over years, the muscle scars and stiffens. The heart enlarges to compensate, but eventually it can't pump efficiently. In DMD, this process is inevitable. The genetic mutation eliminates functional dystrophin entirely. In Becker muscular dystrophy, some dystrophin is produced, so cardiac disease progresses more slowly and variably, but it still develops in most cases. The timing varies. Some children show early signs of left ventricular dysfunction by age 10. Others maintain normal heart function into their late teens. Steroids slow skeletal muscle decline and appear...

Why cardiomyopathy develops in DMD and BMD, the monitoring schedule from diagnosis, and how early treatment protects heart function.

Managing Your Child's Heart Health with Muscular Dystrophy: A Parent's Guide to Cardiomyopathy Monitoring

If your child has Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy isn't a risk you're trying to prevent. It's a progression you're tracking and managing from diagnosis forward. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Nearly every person with DMD will develop cardiomyopathy by adulthood. The cardiac muscle weakens for the same reason skeletal muscle does: the absence or malfunction of dystrophin, a protein that stabilizes muscle cell membranes during contraction. Without it, repeated contraction damages cells. In the heart, that damage is cumulative and irreversible. The monitoring protocol exists because early detection buys time. Heart medications started before imaging shows damage can preserve function for years. This isn't about catching a disease that might develop. It's about tracking a disease that will, and intervening while the muscle is still working. Why the Heart Is Affected. Dystrophin stabilizes muscle cells during contraction. The heart contracts about 100,000 times per day. Without dystrophin, each contraction causes microscopic tears in cardiac muscle cells. Over years, the muscle scars and stiffens. The heart enlarges to compensate, but eventually it can't pump efficiently. In DMD, this process is inevitable. The genetic mutation eliminates functional dystrophin entirely. In Becker muscular dystrophy, some dystrophin is produced, so cardiac disease progresses more slowly and variably, but it still develops in most cases. The timing varies. Some children show early signs of left ventricular dysfunction by age 10. Others maintain normal heart function into their late teens. Steroids slow skeletal muscle decline and appear...

Managing Your Child's Heart Health with Muscular Dystrophy: A Parent's Guide to Cardiomyopathy Monitoring

You've watched your child light up at the Paralympics on TV, or heard them ask if they could try swimming, or sensed that movement might unlock something you haven't been able to reach any other way. The idea of adaptive sports makes sense. The path from that idea to your child participating feels less clear. Most parents get stuck at the research phase. They search for programs, read about benefits, and bookmark resources, but the gap between interest and enrollment stays open. What's missing isn't motivation. It's a sequence. You need to know what happens first, what questions to ask, and who needs to be involved before you can move from "this sounds good" to "we're doing this." Here's the roadmap that gets you there. Start with the Preparticipation Physical Exam. Before you contact any program, before you buy equipment, before you commit to a schedule, your child needs a preparticipation physical exam. This isn't a formality. It's the conversation that determines what sports are safe, what adaptations are necessary, and what equipment your child's body can handle. Schedule this with your pediatrician or physiatrist. Bring a list of sports or activities your child is interested in. The physician will assess joint stability, cardiovascular capacity, skin integrity, and any disability-specific considerations that affect physical activity. If your child has a spinal cord injury, the exam includes autonomic dysreflexia screening. If they have cerebral palsy, the focus is on range of motion and muscle tone. The exam is tailored to what...

From the physical exam to finding local programs, here's how to move from interest to participation in adaptive sports.

Adaptive Sports and Fitness for Children with Disabilities: Where to Start and How to Succeed

You've watched your child light up at the Paralympics on TV, or heard them ask if they could try swimming, or sensed that movement might unlock something you haven't been able to reach any other way. The idea of adaptive sports makes sense. The path from that idea to your child participating feels less clear. Most parents get stuck at the research phase. They search for programs, read about benefits, and bookmark resources, but the gap between interest and enrollment stays open. What's missing isn't motivation. It's a sequence. You need to know what happens first, what questions to ask, and who needs to be involved before you can move from "this sounds good" to "we're doing this." Here's the roadmap that gets you there. Start with the Preparticipation Physical Exam. Before you contact any program, before you buy equipment, before you commit to a schedule, your child needs a preparticipation physical exam. This isn't a formality. It's the conversation that determines what sports are safe, what adaptations are necessary, and what equipment your child's body can handle. Schedule this with your pediatrician or physiatrist. Bring a list of sports or activities your child is interested in. The physician will assess joint stability, cardiovascular capacity, skin integrity, and any disability-specific considerations that affect physical activity. If your child has a spinal cord injury, the exam includes autonomic dysreflexia screening. If they have cerebral palsy, the focus is on range of motion and muscle tone. The exam is tailored to what...

Laughter is more than just a sound — it's a whole body experience. 15 facial muscles contract, our breathing becomes irregular as we half-close our larynx, and even our tear ducts can become activated. Our muscles throughout our bodies contract, as laughter spreads from our face, through our respiratory system, and eventually through our entire bodies. People usually laugh because they're happy, but laughter also has the power to make us happy. Laughter releases endorphins, or neurotransmitters that have similar effects as drugs like morphine, which are responsible for feelings of euphoria. Within our immune system, laughter increases the amount of T cells, which are the body's natural defense against viruses, cancer cells, and other disease-causing cells. Levels of B cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies, and levels of Immunoglobins A, G, and M, which help fight infection, all rise. Laughter boosts the immune system, so it would be safe to assume that laughter makes us healthier. Some researchers even suggest that laughing 100 times gives you the same workout as 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing works the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure, so it's like a cardio workout. It also increases memory and cognitive functioning. The average adult laughs only 17 times a day. Many people believe laughter is contagious, and one person laughing can start others in a fit. If you're feeling sick, lacking energy, or stressed, try a few rounds of laughter. It's the medicine...

Laughter triggers a full-body response, releasing endorphins, boosting the immune system, and working like a cardio exercise.

What Happens When We Laugh?

 Laughter is more than just a sound — it's a whole body experience. 15 facial muscles contract, our breathing becomes irregular as we half-close our larynx, and even our tear ducts can become activated. Our muscles throughout our bodies contract, as laughter spreads from our face, through our respiratory system, and eventually through our entire bodies.    People usually laugh because they're happy, but laughter also has the power to make us happy. Laughter releases endorphins, or neurotransmitters that have similar effects as drugs like morphine, which are responsible for feelings of euphoria.   Within our immune system, laughter increases the amount of T cells, which are the body's natural defense against viruses, cancer cells, and other disease-causing cells. Levels of B cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies, and levels of Immunoglobins A, G, and M, which help fight infection, all rise. Laughter boosts the immune system, so it would be safe to assume that laughter makes us healthier.   Some researchers even suggest that laughing 100 times gives you the same workout as 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing works the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure, so it's like a cardio workout. It also increases memory and cognitive functioning.   The average adult laughs only 17 times a day. Many people believe laughter is contagious, and one person laughing can start others in a fit. If you're feeling sick, lacking energy, or stressed, try a few rounds of laughter. It's the medicine...

Every parent has heard the same pitch before signing a kid up for something new: this will help, trust the process. After a few rounds of that, you've learned to ask a different question: where's the evidence? Adaptive sports have some of the best evidence in the room. The research on physical, mental, and social outcomes for kids who participate is peer-reviewed, quantified, and consistent across studies spanning decades. Here's what it shows, and why it's worth getting excited about. What the Research Has Found. A 2022 meta-analysis in the NIH database tracked hundreds of children with disabilities through adaptive sports programs and returned numbers that are hard to dismiss. Physical quality-of-life improvements measured at a standardized mean difference of 1.03 (p = 0.007). Mental quality-of-life gains came in at SMD = 0.71 (p < 0.001). For parents who want to know whether this helps: the data says yes, measurably and consistently across hundreds of kids. Research from the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Move United's longitudinal studies, and qualitative findings from PMC all land in the same place. Multiple independent teams, different populations, different sports, same outcomes. Consistency like that isn't coincidence. Physical Health: More Than Just Getting Active. Wheelchair basketball is essentially a full-contact speed sport that builds explosive upper-body strength and core stability through the act of playing it. Adaptive swimming develops cardiovascular endurance and joint mobility in ways that land-based training can't replicate, without the impact stress that causes problems for many kids...

Research-backed evidence on physical, mental, and social benefits of adaptive sports for children with disabilities.

Why Adaptive Sports Matter: The Proven Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Kids with Disabilities

Every parent has heard the same pitch before signing a kid up for something new: this will help, trust the process. After a few rounds of that, you've learned to ask a different question: where's the evidence? Adaptive sports have some of the best evidence in the room. The research on physical, mental, and social outcomes for kids who participate is peer-reviewed, quantified, and consistent across studies spanning decades. Here's what it shows, and why it's worth getting excited about. What the Research Has Found. A 2022 meta-analysis in the NIH database tracked hundreds of children with disabilities through adaptive sports programs and returned numbers that are hard to dismiss. Physical quality-of-life improvements measured at a standardized mean difference of 1.03 (p = 0.007). Mental quality-of-life gains came in at SMD = 0.71 (p < 0.001). For parents who want to know whether this helps: the data says yes, measurably and consistently across hundreds of kids. Research from the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Move United's longitudinal studies, and qualitative findings from PMC all land in the same place. Multiple independent teams, different populations, different sports, same outcomes. Consistency like that isn't coincidence. Physical Health: More Than Just Getting Active. Wheelchair basketball is essentially a full-contact speed sport that builds explosive upper-body strength and core stability through the act of playing it. Adaptive swimming develops cardiovascular endurance and joint mobility in ways that land-based training can't replicate, without the impact stress that causes problems for many kids...

Why Adaptive Sports Matter: The Proven Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Kids with Disabilities

Kendall Gretsch opened the 2026 Winter Paralympics by defending her para biathlon sprint title on Day 1. Perfect shooting: all ten targets down, 28.4 seconds ahead of the silver medalist. That margin doesn't happen by accident in a sport where a single missed target costs 150 meters of penalty skiing. She closed the Games with four medals across two disciplines: two golds, two bronzes. Seven career Paralympic golds. She's 33, competing in her third Winter Games, and this sport wasn't even on her radar until ten years ago. Here's why that matters. Gretsch was a world-class para triathlete. Three consecutive world championship titles. She was training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics when the classification committee announced that para triathlon wouldn't be part of the program. The door she'd been aiming for closed. She had a choice: keep training in a sport that might eventually make it to the Paralympics, or pivot to something entirely new with a guaranteed path to the Games. She chose the guaranteed path. Winter sports. Para Nordic skiing and biathlon. Disciplines she had never competed in. Day 1: The Sprint That Set the Tone. The biathlon sprint is a 6km race with two shooting rounds. You ski, shoot five targets, ski again, shoot five more, then finish. Every missed target is a 150-meter penalty loop. Gretsch didn't miss. She cleared all ten. Germany's Andrea Eskau took silver, 28.4 seconds back. That gap isn't just about ski speed. It's about shooting accuracy under cardiovascular load. Your heart...

Kendall Gretsch defended her biathlon gold on Day 1 and finished with four medals across two disciplines at Milano Cortina 2026.

Kendall Gretsch Won the First Gold at the 2026 Paralympics. She Chose This Sport After Para Triathlon Was Cut from Rio.

Kendall Gretsch opened the 2026 Winter Paralympics by defending her para biathlon sprint title on Day 1. Perfect shooting: all ten targets down, 28.4 seconds ahead of the silver medalist. That margin doesn't happen by accident in a sport where a single missed target costs 150 meters of penalty skiing. She closed the Games with four medals across two disciplines: two golds, two bronzes. Seven career Paralympic golds. She's 33, competing in her third Winter Games, and this sport wasn't even on her radar until ten years ago. Here's why that matters. Gretsch was a world-class para triathlete. Three consecutive world championship titles. She was training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics when the classification committee announced that para triathlon wouldn't be part of the program. The door she'd been aiming for closed. She had a choice: keep training in a sport that might eventually make it to the Paralympics, or pivot to something entirely new with a guaranteed path to the Games. She chose the guaranteed path. Winter sports. Para Nordic skiing and biathlon. Disciplines she had never competed in. Day 1: The Sprint That Set the Tone. The biathlon sprint is a 6km race with two shooting rounds. You ski, shoot five targets, ski again, shoot five more, then finish. Every missed target is a 150-meter penalty loop. Gretsch didn't miss. She cleared all ten. Germany's Andrea Eskau took silver, 28.4 seconds back. That gap isn't just about ski speed. It's about shooting accuracy under cardiovascular load. Your heart...

Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center have recently made great strides in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research. DMD is one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy, resulting in the eventual degeneration of all voluntary muscles as well as the heart and breathing muscles. Now with the use of two drugs commonly associated with treating cardiovascular disease, there is new hope. Dr. Subha Raman leads the team of researchers at OSU. Their research focuses on the issue of scarring on the heart, which lessens the heart’s pumping ability. Currently treatment for DMD patients begins after heart damage is detected. Dr. Raman asked, “Is there something we can do to pick it up in its earliest stages and then treat it to hopefully prevent complications?” This led to the discovery that early use of the drugs lisinopril and spironolactone preserved 80% of normal muscle function in lab mice with muscular dystrophy. These findings were published in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation . Success in future clinical trials could mean that patients may never need wheelchairs and could live longer lives. One such patient is Ryan Ballou of Pittsburgh, PA. The 24-year-old lives with DMD and has been taking these medications for over five years. “I’ve been ahead of the curve,” he said. “I walk longer than most people, and I still have a lot of strength in my arms.” Initially he had some scarring on his heart when he began taking the medicine, but since then no...

Ohio State Univ. researchers find drugs lisinopril and spironolactone help preserve muscle in DMD, potentially extending lives.

Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success

Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center have recently made great strides in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research. DMD is one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy, resulting in the eventual degeneration of all voluntary muscles as well as the heart and breathing muscles. Now with the use of two drugs commonly associated with treating cardiovascular disease, there is new hope. Dr. Subha Raman leads the team of researchers at OSU. Their research focuses on the issue of scarring on the heart, which lessens the heart’s pumping ability. Currently treatment for DMD patients begins after heart damage is detected. Dr. Raman asked, “Is there something we can do to pick it up in its earliest stages and then treat it to hopefully prevent complications?” This led to the discovery that early use of the drugs lisinopril and spironolactone preserved 80% of normal muscle function in lab mice with muscular dystrophy. These findings were published in the American Heart Association journal,  Circulation . Success in future clinical trials could mean that patients may never need wheelchairs and could live longer lives. One such patient is Ryan Ballou of Pittsburgh, PA. The 24-year-old lives with DMD and has been taking these medications for over five years. “I’ve been ahead of the curve,” he said. “I walk longer than most people, and I still have a lot of strength in my arms.” Initially he had some scarring on his heart when he began taking the medicine, but since then no...

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Special Needs
Articles

Managing Your Child's Heart Health with Muscular Dystrophy: A Parent's Guide to Cardiomyopathy Monitoring

Adaptive Sports and Fitness for Children with Disabilities: Where to Start and How to Succeed

What Happens When We Laugh?

Why Adaptive Sports Matter: The Proven Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Kids with Disabilities

Kendall Gretsch Won the First Gold at the 2026 Paralympics. She Chose This Sport After Para Triathlon Was Cut from Rio.

Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

Managing Your Child's Heart Health with Muscular Dystrophy: A Parent's Guide to Cardiomyopathy Monitoring

Adaptive Sports and Fitness for Children with Disabilities: Where to Start and How to Succeed

What Happens When We Laugh?

Why Adaptive Sports Matter: The Proven Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Kids with Disabilities

Kendall Gretsch Won the First Gold at the 2026 Paralympics. She Chose This Sport After Para Triathlon Was Cut from Rio.

Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles