Originally Posted by Kitt

I have been a member of this site for nine years and before that I was on the old forum. If I am reading your post correctly, that I don't quite fit the category, I assure you that I do have CMT. Family history goes back a long, long way. You can have symptoms when you are young, old, or in-between. Or you may not have any noticeable symptoms but you still can have CMT. And, yes, symptoms vary greatly even within the same family. I certainly can see that.

You can have flat feet, normal feet or high arches. You can have hammertoes but not all do. I do not. Hammertoes, drop foot, etc. can be caused by a lot of things. Many in the general public have one or the other. Also, I have normal looking feet. Not everyone has drop foot either. Or it may not be that bad if they do have it. Hands and arms can be impacted as well. Mine at this point are not but time will tell. The rest of the family going way back does have both hand, arm, leg and foot issues/weakness.

CMT progresses no matter what you do. CMT does not come on just like that and all of a sudden there you are. But CMT does progress. I have known about CMT since I was five years old. I have kept up with all the research that is being done - and there is lots - for many years now. And much was before the Internet. This information is all from reputable resources.

As far as EMG/NCV testing they can tell the type via the testing. When the myelin is damaged (CMT type 1), the nerve impulses are conducted more slowly than normal. If the axon itself is damaged (CMT type 2), the speed of nerve conduction is almost normal, but the strength of the signal is reduced. CMT is a multi-gene disorder and so there are many different defective genes which cause the disorder.

CMT affects the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and therefore it results in both motor symptoms (weakness and muscle wasting) and sensory symptoms (numbness). CMT is progressive no matter what you do. A neurologist who is an expert in CMT would be the doctor to see. I cannot say that you have CMT. Only a good neurologist can help you there. You certainly do have something going on. Hope you get to the bottom of it.