Myopathy Treatment

In layman language, the term 'myopathy' is used to describe any disorder of the skeletal muscles. Most people do not even realize that they are suffering from this disorder, until they feel that their muscles have become so weak, that they are unable to perform routine tasks. The condition has various types, which include muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, and periodic paralysis (these come under inheritable myopathy). Then there are the types of endocrine myopathies which include steroid myopathy, hyperthyroid myopathy, hypothyroid myopathy and Cushing's disease. The other types include polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) {these are the types of inflammatory myopathies}, and toxic myopathies. Mitochondrial myopathy is also a class, which doctors have to deal with.

Myopathy Symptoms

There aren't many symptoms which are manifested by this disorder. Most people go for a medical check up, once they realize that they are getting extremely low in their muscle strength. As mentioned, affected people cannot muster up the strength even to do routine tasks. The signs and symptoms depend upon the type of the disorder, however, generally, the most common symptom is weakness in the muscles of the shoulders, thighs, pelvis and upper arms. Also, in some types of inheritable myopathy, the muscles suffer enlargement, instead of diminishing in size and getting weak. Commonly, the biceps in the upper arm and the quadriceps in the thigh are the ones that are affected the most. Doctors have found that muscles that are close to the center of the body, are more affected by those which stay further away. Other myopathy symptoms which may accompany include aching, cramping, pain, stiffness, tenderness, and tightness.

Speaking of causes, the ones which have been commonly identified include autoimmune diseases, infection, side effects of medication, metabolic disorder of the body, impaired function of the endocrine, toxins, and nutritional deficiencies.

Treatment of Myopathy

As you can infer from the above description, there are several sub-types of this disorder. And this is the reason there is no specific treatment plan for the condition. The severity and type of the disorder decides whether the patient would respond to a type of drug therapy, which is particularly used to deal with the symptoms of muscular dystrophies and inflammatory myopathies. Use of corticosteroids seem to have done well in the treatment, by improving strength and the ability to walk. This may be referred to as a steroid induced myopathy treatment. Other drugs may include calcium supplements and depression medications.

Most patients have shown to benefit from physiotherapy. Here, experts educate patients about some dedicated strengthening and stretching exercises, which could help in improving strength and flexibility. Also, balance is improved, and risks of tips and falls are cut down. Basically, physiotherapy helps in improving the quality of life.

Patients are also recommended to avoid instances which require the muscles to work harder, and they are also advised to be in control of their weight. There is no specific method that is employed for treating mitochondrial myopathy. Physiotherapy may be helpful, and so may vitamin therapy in some cases. Statin induced myopathy treatment is a debated topic in medical science, as the underlying pathophysiology of the condition is still unknown. So even in this cases, there is no specific measure for it. Treatment of endocrine myopathy, involves addressing the underlying cause. And for inflammatory myopathy, drugs are prescribed to suppress the immune system.

Speaking of alternative treatment methods to manage myopathy, acupuncture and acupressure help relieve symptoms to some extent. Even therapeutic massage proves beneficial. In some cases, a combination of different types of medical and non-medical methods are employed to deal with more complex cases of this disorder.