Is there a long-lasting, little risk, minimal side-effect solution to chronic joint pain for the Muscular Dystrophy (MD) patient? The answer is yes, and the main "medicine" in this treatment is sugar. Muscular Dystrophy, sports related injuries, and injuries related to years of wear and tear all share in common that the chronic joint pain they cause is a degenerative disease. In cases of Muscular Dystrophy, muscle weakening and atrophy can accelerate joint and spinal degeneration and cause pain when unstable bones trap, pinch, wear at and tear at the soft tissue of the spine and joints. Treating the pain  There are not many answers to treating degenerative joint disease in MD. The goal of any treatment should be to choose options that the patient will well tolerate and see an improvement in quality of life. This is why in our practice we are very reluctant in prescribing both narcotic pain medications and/or recommending over-the-counter pain relief medications. Our reluctance stems from the obvious and serious side effects that these medicines have been documented to cause. Even low dose Tylenol has recently been cited in studies in accidental overdose. Sometimes surgical intervention is sought especially in cases of excessive and painful spinal curvature, impingement syndrome, or simply when the pain of a joint seems to suggest no other options. Surgeries have their complications and should always be considered after more conservative options have been explored. Many physicians and health care professionals will offer options other than the prescription,...

Sugar-based Prolotherapy can mitigate MD chronic joint pain with less risk, aiming for improved life quality without surgery or narcotics.

The Problem of MD Chronic Joint Pain

Is there a long-lasting, little risk, minimal side-effect solution to chronic joint pain for the Muscular Dystrophy (MD) patient? The answer is yes, and the main "medicine" in this treatment is sugar. Muscular Dystrophy, sports related injuries, and injuries related to years of wear and tear all share in common that the chronic joint pain they cause is a degenerative disease. In cases of Muscular Dystrophy, muscle weakening and atrophy can accelerate joint and spinal degeneration and cause pain when unstable bones trap, pinch, wear at and tear at the soft tissue of the spine and joints.  Treating the pain   There are not many answers to treating degenerative joint disease in MD. The goal of any treatment should be to choose options that the patient will well tolerate and see an improvement in quality of life. This is why in our practice we are very reluctant in prescribing both narcotic pain medications and/or recommending over-the-counter pain relief medications. Our reluctance stems from the obvious and serious side effects that these medicines have been documented to cause. Even low dose Tylenol has recently been cited in studies in accidental overdose. Sometimes surgical intervention is sought especially in cases of excessive and painful spinal curvature, impingement syndrome, or simply when the pain of a joint seems to suggest no other options. Surgeries have their complications and should always be considered after more conservative options have been explored. Many physicians and health care professionals will offer options other than the prescription,...

Sugar-based Prolotherapy can mitigate MD chronic joint pain with less risk, aiming for improved life quality without surgery or narcotics.

The Problem of MD Chronic Joint Pain

When someone receives a diagnosis of macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or another condition that reduces functional vision, the question of magnification tools arrives almost immediately, and it's rarely answered well in a doctor's office. The range of options spans from a $50 optical magnifier to a $4,000 desktop video system, and the right choice is almost never obvious from the outside. What cuts through the confusion is starting with the task rather than the technology. The tool that serves someone reading their mail at the kitchen table each morning is different from the one that serves someone who reads novels for hours, and both are different from the tool someone needs to check a restaurant menu while out. Optical vs. Electronic: The Foundational Difference. Optical magnifiers use glass lenses to enlarge text and images by refracting light. No charging, no setup, no software. For occasional magnification of a label or a document, a quality optical magnifier in the $30 to $80 range covers that task reliably. Electronic magnifiers use a camera to capture and display an image, enlarged and usually with contrast enhancement options. They can invert colors, adjust brightness, and display at magnification levels far beyond what any glass lens allows. For someone reading extended text under conditions that matter, such as following a recipe, reviewing mail, or reading for pleasure, the electronic option reduces eye fatigue in ways that optical cannot. Handheld Video Magnifiers. Handheld electronic magnifiers are what most families reach for first, and often they're the...

Compare handheld and desktop video magnifiers by use case, price range, and insurance coverage to choose the right low-vision tool.

Magnification Devices for Low Vision: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

When someone receives a diagnosis of macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or another condition that reduces functional vision, the question of magnification tools arrives almost immediately, and it's rarely answered well in a doctor's office. The range of options spans from a $50 optical magnifier to a $4,000 desktop video system, and the right choice is almost never obvious from the outside. What cuts through the confusion is starting with the task rather than the technology. The tool that serves someone reading their mail at the kitchen table each morning is different from the one that serves someone who reads novels for hours, and both are different from the tool someone needs to check a restaurant menu while out. Optical vs. Electronic: The Foundational Difference. Optical magnifiers use glass lenses to enlarge text and images by refracting light. No charging, no setup, no software. For occasional magnification of a label or a document, a quality optical magnifier in the $30 to $80 range covers that task reliably. Electronic magnifiers use a camera to capture and display an image, enlarged and usually with contrast enhancement options. They can invert colors, adjust brightness, and display at magnification levels far beyond what any glass lens allows. For someone reading extended text under conditions that matter, such as following a recipe, reviewing mail, or reading for pleasure, the electronic option reduces eye fatigue in ways that optical cannot. Handheld Video Magnifiers. Handheld electronic magnifiers are what most families reach for first, and often they're the...

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...

Giacomo Bertagnolli was born in Trento, in the Italian Alps, in a region where kids learn to ski the same way they learn to ride bikes. He started losing his central vision as a child. By the time he was competing at the Paralympic level, he could no longer see the course in front of him. At the 2026 Winter Paralympics at Cortina, he won gold in the men's combined visually impaired category. It was his 11th Paralympic medal. The race took place in the Dolomites, a few hours north of where he grew up. What Stargardt Disease Does. Stargardt disease is a form of inherited macular degeneration. It damages the central retina, the part of the eye responsible for sharp, detailed vision, and it usually begins in childhood or adolescence. Peripheral vision generally stays intact. What deteriorates is everything in the middle of what you're looking at. For a ski racer, that matters in a specific way. The gates, the terrain ahead, the line through the course: that information lives in the center of the visual field. Bertagnolli can see the edges of what's in front of him. He cannot see what's directly ahead. That is why, in the visually impaired classification, athletes race with a guide. The guide runs just ahead, wears a radio transmitter, and calls the course in real time: left, right, tuck, flat section, gate. Not a broad summary of the terrain but a continuous stream of specific instructions, each one narrowing the time between...

Italian VI alpine skier Giacomo Bertagnolli won his 11th Paralympic medal at the 2026 Games in Cortina, navigating by voice.

Giacomo Bertagnolli Has Been Going Blind Since He Was a Child. He Has 11 Paralympic Medals.

Giacomo Bertagnolli was born in Trento, in the Italian Alps, in a region where kids learn to ski the same way they learn to ride bikes. He started losing his central vision as a child. By the time he was competing at the Paralympic level, he could no longer see the course in front of him. At the 2026 Winter Paralympics at Cortina, he won gold in the men's combined visually impaired category. It was his 11th Paralympic medal. The race took place in the Dolomites, a few hours north of where he grew up. What Stargardt Disease Does. Stargardt disease is a form of inherited macular degeneration. It damages the central retina, the part of the eye responsible for sharp, detailed vision, and it usually begins in childhood or adolescence. Peripheral vision generally stays intact. What deteriorates is everything in the middle of what you're looking at. For a ski racer, that matters in a specific way. The gates, the terrain ahead, the line through the course: that information lives in the center of the visual field. Bertagnolli can see the edges of what's in front of him. He cannot see what's directly ahead. That is why, in the visually impaired classification, athletes race with a guide. The guide runs just ahead, wears a radio transmitter, and calls the course in real time: left, right, tuck, flat section, gate. Not a broad summary of the terrain but a continuous stream of specific instructions, each one narrowing the time between...

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Special Needs
Articles

The Problem of MD Chronic Joint Pain

Magnification Devices for Low Vision: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success

Giacomo Bertagnolli Has Been Going Blind Since He Was a Child. He Has 11 Paralympic Medals.

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

The Problem of MD Chronic Joint Pain

Magnification Devices for Low Vision: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success

Giacomo Bertagnolli Has Been Going Blind Since He Was a Child. He Has 11 Paralympic Medals.

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles