Muscle atrophy is a condition in which your muscles waste away. This usually (but not always) occurs due to lack of physical activity.
It typically occurs in individuals for whom physical activity has become difficult or impossible as a result of disease or injury.
Typically, the loss of muscle tissue shows up in the form of a reduction in size of the unused muscles. It may be difficult or impossible to move an arm or leg for an extended period. If so, the loss of muscle mass can cause that limb to gradually shrink compared to the other one.
In this article, we will examine the most common symptoms of muscle atrophy and then briefly discuss the usual causes. We will end with a discussion of the treatments currently available to slow or reverse this problem.
As always, the contents of this article should not be regarded as professional advice. If you think you are suffering from muscle atrophy, we would advise consulting with a medical professional. He or she will be able to properly diagnose your condition and then suggest the appropriate remedies.
As mentioned above, this condition usually causes a shrinkage of one or more of your limbs compared to the others.
Other potential indications of muscle atrophy include:
We have already stated above that this condition can be the result of an extended period of relative inactivity.
Reduced use of certain muscles can cause a marked decrease in their size and strength. For certain muscles, such as the weight bearing ones, this can take place even over a short period.
The inactivity that leads to muscle atrophy can itself be the result of:
In some cases, the reduction in muscle use can be caused by certain diseases or medical conditions. These diseases or events may make it impossible or difficult to continue using certain muscles. Examples are:
Other potential causes of muscle atrophy, that may not be due to an enforced period of inactivity, may include:
If you think you are seeing signs of muscle atrophy, the first step is to see your doctor.
Your doctor will probably start by reviewing your medical history. He or she will pay particular attention to previous injuries and any recent diagnoses of illness. You will likely also be asked to describe your symptoms in detail.
The doctor will probably want to request tests such as:
These tests will help your doctor to understand the causes of your muscle wastage. In particular, they may help to detect an underlying illness other than inactivity that is causing muscle tissue loss.
In deciding on the most appropriate treatment, your doctor will take account of the amount of muscle tissue lost. Priority will likely also be given to treating underlying medical conditions that may have led to the loss of muscle mass.
That said, as a first step, the recommended treatments might include:
Another treatment technique that may be employed is electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). This involves the use of electrical signals to induce muscle movement. Over time, repeated EMS treatments may help slow or reverse the atrophy.
Another approach to treating muscle atrophy involves surgery. In cases involving muscle tissue loss due to malnutrition, contracture deformity may result. If so, surgery may be the most effective way to address the deformity.
Surgery may also be effective if your muscle tissue loss is due to a torn tendon that prevents normal muscle use. In this situation, the goal of surgery will be to repair the damaged tendon and allow normal muscle use to resume.
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