Muscle Atrophy

As it has been mentioned above, muscle atrophy refers to a condition wherein the affected person tends to lose muscle mass. This is one of those medical conditions that causes a great impact on the sufferer's quality of life, as it may render him helpless to perform even the simplest of tasks, since the ability to work is directly linked to muscle strength. And when the muscle mass starts reducing, muscle weakness begins to increase. According to experts, muscle atrophy occurs in two types; disuse atrophy and neurogenic atrophy.

Muscle Atrophy Facts

To continue what was said earlier, this condition exists in two kinds. The first type, that is disuse atrophy, has a sedentary lifestyle to blame for its development. This disease affects those who do not use their muscles enough. This is why, people who are bed stricken are more vulnerable to develop this kind of muscle atrophy,

The other type is what is known as the neurogenic atrophy. This may be caused as a result of a disease or some kind of an injury that is caused to the nerve that stays in connection to the muscles. It may be caused by:

• Burns
• Cachexia (defined as any general reduction in vitality and strength of the body and mind. Usually, it results from a worsening chronic disease; AIDS can be an example.)
• Corticosteroid therapy intended for long-term treatment
• Guillain-Barre syndrome (defined as a condition wherein the body's immune system attacks the body's nerves.)
• Injury to the spinal cord
• Lou Gehrig's disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and is one of the most common causes of neurogenic atrophy. It refers to a neurological disease that targets the muscles, eventually making them so weak that the person may become disable, or even die.)
• Severe malnutrition
• Myopathy that is associated with alcohol abuse
• Neuropathy associated with diabetes (nerve damage caused by diabetes.)
• Osteoarthritis
• Peripheral nerve injury
• Poliomyelitis (also known as polio, it is a viral infectious disease that affects the brain stem and spinal cord.)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Stroke
• HIV/AIDS

Symptoms

As discussed earlier, the main symptom of this condition is muscle weakness. This weakness can be so severe that the affected person may not be able do a task as simple as walking. It greatly affects the quality of life due to the risks of the accidents that accompany the tasks the sufferer is attempting to perform. For instance, walking may cause serious injuries to the person.

Treatment

Experts say, the condition of disuse atrophy can be addressed to, by getting involved in a regular exercise schedule, and inculcating a healthy diet. In fact, many people have been able to recover from it, by following these two steps religiously. The main purpose of exercises and dietary reinforcement is to rebuild muscle tissues and overcome the weakness.

As far as the other one, that is neurogenic atrophy is concerned, as you have read, it is caused by underlying medical conditions. So until these conditions are attended to, the condition cannot be improved. Apart from this, regular exercises are also necessary to hasten the muscle atrophy recovery.

Muscle atrophy is one of those disorders that is too serious to be ignored. If the type is disuse atrophy, then the situation may be treated and reversed. However, it may not be the same with the neurogenic type, as you can very well understand the severity of the factors that are known to cause it. So, as soon as the symptoms surface, or if you experience severe muscle fatigue, pay a visit to the doctor and get yourself diagnosed, to fix things when you still have the time. Take care!