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What is muscle atrophy?
The process of muscle atrophy develops gradually and leads to an increasing decrease in their volume and the degeneration of muscle fibers, which become thinner, in especially severe cases, their number can be reduced up to complete disappearance. There are primary (simple) and secondary (neurogenic) muscle atrophy.
As a result of the development of muscle atrophy in the human body, a decrease and deformation of muscle tissue begins, replacing it with a connective tissue that is unable to perform a motor function. Muscle strength is lost, muscle tone decreases, which leads to a restriction of motor activity or its complete loss.
Causes of muscle atrophy
Primary muscle atrophy is caused by damage to the muscle itself. The cause of the disease in this case may be unfavorable heredity, which is expressed in metabolic disorders in the form of a congenital defect in muscle enzymes or high permeability of cell membranes. Environmental factors that provoke the onset of the pathological process also have a significant impact. These include physical overstrain, infectious process, trauma. The most pronounced primary muscle atrophy in myopathy.
The cause of muscle atrophy can be an injury to the nerve trunks, an infectious process that occurs with damage to the motor cells of the spinal cord, such as poliomyelitis and polio-like diseases.
Sometimes the pathological process is hereditary. In this case, the distal extremities are affected, and the process itself proceeds more slowly and is of a benign nature.
In the etiology of the disease, the following factors are distinguished: malignant tumors, paralysis of the spinal cord or peripheral nerves. Often, muscle atrophy develops against the background of various injuries, starvation, intoxication, as a result of a slowdown in metabolic processes as the body ages, prolonged motor inactivity for any reason, as a consequence of chronic diseases.
If the spinal cord and large nerve trunks are affected, neuropathic muscle atrophy develops. With thrombosis of large vessels or impaired blood flow in muscle tissue as a result of mechanical or pathological damage, an ischemic form develops. The cause of the functional form is absolute, often partial motor inactivity due to pathological processes in the body – arthritis, poliomyelitis and poliomyelitis-like diseases.
Muscle atrophy symptoms
There are two forms of the disease:
— The disease is diagnosed primarilyif the muscle itself is directly affected. An important role in the pathogenesis is played by heredity, it often develops as a result of injury or as a consequence of bruises, intoxication, physical overwork. It is clinically expressed by rapid fatigue, a noticeable decrease in muscle tone. Characteristic twitching of the limbs may be observed.
— Secondary atrophy muscle develops more often as a post-traumatic complication or after various infections. As a result, motor cells are damaged, which leads to limitation of the motor function of the feet, shins, hands, forearms, partial or complete paralysis. Basically, the disease has a sluggish course, but there are also periods of acute outbreaks of the disease, accompanied by severe pain.
Secondary muscle atrophy is divided into:
neural myotrophy – with this form, the muscles of the feet and lower legs are affected, their deformation occurs. The patient’s gait changes. So that his dangling feet do not touch the floor, he begins to raise his knees high. Superficial sensitivity is lost, and reflexes fade. A few years after the onset of the disease, the disease passes to the hands and forearms. The most severe and complex course is observed with progressive muscle atrophy, most often manifested already in early childhood, and in the family of healthy parents. This form is characterized by a complete loss of tendon reflexes, a sharp decrease in blood pressure. Fibrillar twitching of the extremities is often observed.
progressive muscular atrophy develops in adults and is called atrophic syndrome. In this case, the distal or distant parts of the upper limbs are affected – fingers, interosseous muscles of the hand. The hand takes on a specific form, becomes like a monkey. Tendon reflexes disappear, but sensitivity remains. With the further development of the disease, the muscles of the neck and trunk are included in the pathological process.
A common feature for all types of muscle atrophy is a decrease in the volume of the damaged muscle, which is especially noticeable when compared with the healthy side. The severity of symptoms depends on the severity and prevalence of the disease, in all cases leads to a decrease in muscle tone and pain on palpation of the extremities.
Diagnosis of muscle atrophy
Diagnosis of muscle atrophy is currently not difficult. To identify the background cause of the disease, a detailed clinical and biochemical blood tests, functional studies of the thyroid gland, liver are carried out. Mandatory electromyography and the study of nerve conduction, a biopsy of muscle tissue, as well as a thorough history taking. If necessary, additional examination methods are prescribed.
Forms of muscle atrophy
There are several forms of the disease. Neural amyotrophy, or Charcot-Marie amyotrophy, occurs with damage to the muscles of the foot and lower leg, the extensor group and the abductor muscle group are the most susceptible to the pathological process. The feet are deformed. Patients have a characteristic gait, during which the patients raise their knees high, as the foot, during the lifting of the leg, sags and interferes with walking. The doctor notes the extinction of reflexes, a decrease in superficial sensitivity in the lower extremities. Years after the onset of the disease, the hands and forearms are involved in the pathological process.
Progressive Werdnig-Hoffman muscular atrophy is characterized by a more severe course. The first symptoms of muscle atrophy appear in a child at an early age, often in a family of apparently healthy parents, several children suffer from the disease at once. The disease is characterized by loss of tendon reflexes, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, fibrillar twitching.
Atrophic syndrome also accompanies progressive muscular atrophy of adults – Aran-Duchene atrophy. At the initial stage, the pathological process is localized in the distal parts of the upper limbs. Muscle atrophy also affects the elevation of the thumb, little finger, and interosseous muscles. Patients’ hands take a characteristic “monkey hand” posture. Pathology is also accompanied by the disappearance of tendon reflexes, but the sensitivity is preserved. The pathological process progresses over time, it involves the muscles of the neck and trunk.
Treatment of muscle atrophy
When choosing a method of treatment, important factors are necessarily taken into account: the age of the patient, the severity and form of the disease. The main importance is given to the treatment of the underlying disease, which led to the development of muscle atrophy. Medical treatment is carried out and additional is prescribed: physiotherapy, electrotherapy, therapeutic massage and gymnastics. Strict adherence to all the recommendations and requirements of the doctor allows many patients to regain lost motor abilities and slow down the process of atrophy.
[Video] How to treat muscle atrophy: