The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the vast network of nerves that lies outside the brain and spinal cord, carrying signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. It includes the sensory nerves that bring information inward and the motor nerves that send commands out to the muscles. CMT is, by definition, a disease of the peripheral nervous system, which is why its effects show up in the feet, legs, and hands rather than the brain.
A Name That Does Too Much Work
Jean-Martin Charcot's name appears throughout medicine, but nowhere does it create more confusion than in the foot. Learn why the CMT foot and Charcot neuroarthropathy, also known as Charcot foot, share a name yet differ in how they develop, appear, and are managed.
