Muscle atrophy

Definition

Muscle atrophy refers to the wasting or loss of muscle tissue resulting from disease or lack of use.

Considerations

The majority of muscle atrophy in the general population results from disuse. People with sedentary jobs and senior citizens with decreased activity can lose muscle tone and develop significant atrophy. This type of atrophy is reversible with vigorous exercise.

Bed-ridden people can undergo significant muscle wasting. Astronauts, free of the gravitational pull of Earth, can develop decreased muscle tone and loss of calcium from their bones following just a few days of weightlessness.

Muscle atrophy resulting from disease rather than disuse is generally one of two types, that resulting from damage to the nerves that supply the muscles, and disease of the muscle itself.

Examples of diseases affecting the nerves that control muscles would be poliomyelitis (polio), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Examples of diseases affecting primarily the muscles would include muscular dystrophy, myotonia congenita, and myotonic dystrophy as well as other congenital, inflammatory, or metabolic myopathies (muscle diseases).

Even minor muscle atrophy usually results in some loss of mobility or power.

Common Causes

• some atrophy that occurs normally with aging
• cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
• spinal cord injury
• peripheral nerve injury (peripheral neuropathy)
• other injury
• prolonged immobilization
• osteoarthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• prolonged corticosteroid therapy
• diabetes (diabetic neuropathy)
• burns
• poliomyelitis
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• muscular dystrophy
• myotonia congenita
• myotonic dystrophy
• myopathy

Home Care

Application of moist heat is recommended along with whirlpool baths and resistive exercises.

Unless prohibited by the doctor, active exercises are recommended where a full range of motion is achieved. Exercises using braces or splints are recommended for those who cannot actively move one or more joints.

Call your health care provider if

• there is any unexplained, prolonged muscle atrophy.

What to expect at your health care provider's office

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting muscle atrophy in detail may include:

• time pattern
  • When did it begin?
  • Is it getting worse?
• location
  • What muscle is affected?
• other
  • What other symptoms are present?

The extent of atrophy will be determined by observation and limb circumference measurements.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• CT scans of affected area
• electromyography
• muscle biopsy
• nerve conduction studies
• X-rays of affected area
• ultrasound therapy and in some cases, surgery (to correct a contracture)

After seeing your health care provider:

You may want to add a diagnosis related to muscle atrophy to your personal medical record.

Illustrations

Active vs. inactive muscle

Muscular atrophy

Page Content:

Muscle wasting; Wasting; Atrophy of the muscles ; muscle wasting; disease muscle wasting; from impairment liver muscle wasting; wasting time; wasting; wasting my time lyric; chronic wasting disease; default wasting my time; mass wasting; default wasting my time lyric; muscle wasting; wasting my times; lyric times wasting; jack johnson wasting time; jack johnson wasting time lyric; wasting water; wasting syndrome; wasting disease; wasting love iron maiden; wasting my time video; muscle wasting disease; time wasting game; wasting time kid rock; salt wasting; blink 182 wasting time; temporal wasting; lyric stay wasting time; wasting time.com; carter june times wasting; aids wasting; just wasting time; wasting my time song; carter june lyric times wasting; cerebral salt wasting; stay wasting time; kid rock wasting time lyric; wasting my hate; wasting time web site; boomkat wasting my time; facial wasting; blink 182 wasting my time lyric; wasting some time; cash johnny times wasting; wasting dawn; wasting energy; wasting money; wasting my life; computer stop support time wasting; how to stop wasting time; food wasting; wasting time at work; wasting the dawn 69 eyes; wasting love lyric; wasting my life away; wasting my time by default; type of mass wasting; quote about wasting time; 8846 time wasting; wasting away again in margaritaville; wasting away in margaritaville; hiv wasting; wasting my time by default lyric; lyric wasting the dawn; from impairment liver muscle wasting; wasting asset; boomkat wasting my time lyric; carter june time wasting; wasting away; wasting time forum; cash johnny lyric times wasting; i'm time wasting; by carter june times wasting; wasting love; aids wasting syndrome; cant be wasting my time; cerebral salt wasting syndrome; chronic wasting; metallica wasting my hate; body wasting; shall i wasting in despair; wasting electricity; wasting paper; muscle atrophy; spinal muscle atrophy; symptom of muscle atrophy; treatment for muscle atrophy; leg muscle atrophy; peroneal muscle atrophy