Proximal means nearer to the center of the body, or to the point where a limb attaches, the opposite of distal, which means farther away. In CMT, the distal muscles of the feet and hands are usually affected first and most, while the proximal muscles closer to the trunk tend to be involved later, if at all.
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.
