Muscle atrophy is a disorder that consists of the wear, loss or decrease of skeletal muscle, which occurs when there is an imbalance between protein synthesis and its degradation. This disorder affects the nerve cells of these muscles, causing partial or total paralysis. As a result of its appearance, a loss of muscle strength is caused, which clearly negatively affects any daily action that the sufferer can perform. Progressively these muscles are worn out and the patient has increasing difficulty in performing activities, even those a priori as simple as walking.
Categories of muscle atrophy
Muscle atrophy is caused, as we have already mentioned, by an imbalance between protein synthesis and protein degradation, giving rise to three different types of muscle atrophy, which are the following:
Psychological atrophy
It is one in which affected people do not use their muscles frequently. In this case the solution is to carry out physical exercise. It often occurs in people who, for different reasons, spend all day sitting, or because they have health problems that prevent them from moving their limbs.
Pathological atrophy
It is caused by aging, starvation and other diseases. It can also be determined by abusing the use of corticosteroids.
Neurogenic atrophy
In this case the disorder is born from the lack of connection between muscles and nerves. It usually occurs in those who are sick with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), rheumatoid arthritis, polio, or Guillian-Barre syndrome, among others. It can also originate after having suffered burns or injuries with trauma.
Symptoms of muscle atrophy
Muscle atrophy has no symptoms prior to its appearance, causing these to appear as it develops in the individual. As they appear, the following signs can be seen:
Feeling of having weakness in the extremiddades.
Reduction of muscle mass in both legs and arms.
Greater difficulties when carrying out basic movements.
Diagnosis of muscle atrophy
The specialist, to make his diagnosis, must proceed to the examination of the patient to determine the loss of muscle mass, in addition to reviewing the clinical history and ordering the performance of other complementary tests, such as magnetic resonance, x-rays or blood tests.
Treatment of muscle atrophy
In the event that this pathology is diagnosed, the way to treat the problem is similar in the vast majority of cases. When there is a loss of muscle mass, the goal should be to recover it. In the case of disuse muscle atrophy, it is easier to reverse. In this case, it will be necessary to carry out specific exercises to recover muscle mass. At the same time, it will be necessary to raise protein intake. On the other hand, if atrophy is determined by neurological problems, these exercises should be combined with other specific ones in which orthopedic elements are used.
Prevention of muscle atrophy
In the event that you want to prevent the appearance of muscle atrophy for psychological reasons is the simplest, since in that case you will only have to improve the diet so that it is healthy and exercise. In this way, the muscle will be prevented from atrophying. In the same way, a sedentary lifestyle should be avoided, since this will reduce the chances of the disease occurring. The preventive diet should be balanced but rich in protein and exercise should be carried out daily, although it does not have to be of a high intensity.
Most cases are due to inactivity
Although it can be related to different diseases, some of them those we have mentioned, muscle atrophy occurs, in the vast majority of cases because of inactivity. Those people who have a sedentary job and the elderly who do not maintain sufficient activity, can cause their muscle tone to be affected and, therefore, can develop a fairly important atrophy. However, it should not be a sign of excessive alarm, as it can become reversible with exercise. Those who are sick who are bedridden due to mobility problems, can present significant wear at the muscular level, the same thing that happens, for example, with astronauts. These, being freed from the force of gravity, can see their muscle mass decreased. For this reason, we must bear in mind that the lifestyle that is adopted as you age, is key to the final results. If an appropriate level of activity is maintained, there should be no muscle atrophy. Thus, the activity should continue to be promoted by the elderly and any citizen. Finally, it should be noted that the loss of strength in the legs has important consequences. It can limit locomotion. It also increases the risk of falls and lumbar problems.