- Myotonic muscular dystrophy - often abbreviated as MMD
- Dystrophia myotonica - a Latin name used by many doctors; often abbreviated as DM. The different types of DM are typically referred to as DM1 or DM2.
- DM1 is also known as Steinert's Disease, named for the German doctor who first identified this disorder in 1909.
- DM2 is also known as Proximal myotonic myopathy or PROMM.
Myotonic dystrophy should not be confused with other disorders with similar names (e.g.myotonia congenita [Thomsen’s disease] and congenital muscular dystrophy).