What are the symptoms of muscle atrophy?
The symptoms of muscle atrophy differ depending on the cause of your condition. The most obvious sign of muscle atrophy is reduced muscle mass. Other signs of muscle atrophy may include:
- One arm or one leg is smaller than the other.
- Weakness in one arm and or one leg.
- Numbness or tingling in your arms and legs.
- Trouble walking or balancing.
- Difficulty swallowing or speaking.
- Facial weakness.
- Gradual memory loss.
What does muscle atrophy feel like?
If you have muscle atrophy in your limbs, you may feel tingling, numbness or weakness in your arms and legs. If you have atrophied muscles in your face or throat, your facial muscles may start feeling weak and you may find it difficult to speak or swallow.
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What causes muscle atrophy?
The cause of muscle atrophy depends on the type you have. Disuse (physiologic) atrophy is caused by not using your muscles enough. If you stop using your muscles, your body won’t waste the energy it needs to take care of them. Instead, your body will start to break your muscles down, which causes them to decrease in size and strength. Disuse atrophy may affect you if you:
- Lead a sedentary lifestyle.
- Are malnourished.
- Don’t get enough exercise.
- Sit at a desk job all day.
- Are on best rest.
- Have a genetic disorder such as muscular dystrophy or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
- Can’t move your limbs due to a stroke or other conditions such as dermatomyositis.
- Have age-related atrophy (sarcopenia).
Neurogenic atrophy is caused by an injury or disease affecting nerves that connect to your muscles. When these nerves are damaged, they can’t trigger the muscle contractions that are needed to stimulate muscle activity. When your muscles don’t contract, your body thinks you don’t need them anymore. So your body starts breaking them down, which causes them to decrease in size and strength. Diseases and other conditions that can affect these nerves include:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Guillain-Barre syndrome.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Polio.
- Spinal cord injury.
- Multiple sclerosis.
How long does it take muscles to atrophy?
The amount of time it takes for your muscles to atrophy depends on your age, fitness level and cause of atrophy. If your muscle atrophy is due to disuse (physiologic), the process can start within two to three weeks of not using your muscles. Neurogenic muscle atrophy may develop sooner depending on your health condition.
