Physical therapy can help a child maintain muscle tone and reduce the severity of joint contractures with exercises that keep the muscles strong and the joints flexible.
A physical therapist also uses bracing to help prevent joint contractures, a stiffening of the muscles near the joints that can make it harder to move and can lock the joints in painful positions. By providing extra support in just the right places, bracing can extend the time that a child with MD can walk independently.




There is some debate over the best time to begin prednisone treatment, but most doctors prescribe it when a child is 5 or 6 years old or when the child's strength begins to significantly decline.




Some persons with severe cases undergo spinal fusion, a surgery that can reduce pain, lessen the severity of the curvature so that a child can sit upright and comfortably in a chair, and ensure that the spine curvature doesn't have an effect on breathing. Usually, spinal fusion surgery only requires a short hospital stay.
Many people with MD also have weakened heart and respiratory muscles. As a result, they can't cough out phlegm and sometimes develop respiratory infections that can quickly become serious. Good general health care and regular vaccinations are especially important for children with muscular dystrophy to help prevent these infections.
In October, 2012, an experimental drug, eteplirsen, helped boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy walk significantly further half way through a clinical trial.

What are the treatment options for Muscular Dystrophy?

If a person has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a doctor may prescribe the steroid prednisone to help slow the rate of muscle deterioration. By doing so, the child may be able to walk longer and live a more active life.

Prednisone does have side effects, though. It can cause weight gain, which can put even greater strain on already weak muscles. It also can cause a loss of bone density and, possibly, lead to fractures. If prescribing prednisone, a doctor will have to closely monitor results.