Muscle Atrophy Overview
Muscle atrophy is the wasting or thinning of muscle mass. It can be caused by disuse of the muscles or neurogenic conditions. Symptoms include a decrease in muscle mass, one limb being smaller than the other, and numbness, weakness and tingling in your limbs. Disuse atrophy can be reversed with exercise and a healthy diet.
It is usually a symptom of another condition rather than a condition in and of itself. In addition to a loss in the size of muscles, muscle atrophy can also cause muscle weakness.
Muscular Atrophy vs Muscular Dystrophy
Muscle atrophy refers to the shrinking or “wasting away” of muscles. It is usually a symptom of another condition rather than a condition in and of itself. In addition to a loss in the size of muscles, muscle atrophy can also cause muscle weakness.
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a rare genetic disorder that affects the proteins that build and maintain healthy muscles. While muscular dystrophy can cause muscle atrophy, they are different conditions with different causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Types of Muscular Atrophy
Following are the three different types of muscle atrophy:
- Physiologic (disuse)
- Pathologic
- Neurogenic
Physiologic (Disuse) Muscular Atrophy
Physiologic muscle atrophy develops from prolonged periods of time when muscles are not used at all or not used enough.
While significant muscle atrophy can take time, signs of atrophy on a molecular level can begin as early as after a week of reduced activity. There are a lot of reasons that physiologic muscle atrophy can occur, but some of the common ones include:
- Anything that results in muscles not being used regularly
- Being confined to bed
- Jobs that require a lot of sitting or little activity
- Health problems or conditions that limit movement or reduce activity
- Inability to move limbs due to a health condition such as a stroke
Physiologic muscle atrophy can even be caused by space travel because of the lack of gravity. This type of muscle atrophy can often be reversed by lifestyle changes and increased exercise if the muscle loss was caused by disuse only.
Physiologic muscle atrophy can also occur as a secondary type of atrophy to other types of muscle atrophy when those limit movement and activity.
Pathologic Muscular Atrophy
Pathogenic muscle atrophy can occur as a result of the following conditions:
- Aging (called sarcopenia)
- Diseases such as Cushing’s syndrome (resulting from an overuse of corticosteroid medications)
- Poor nutrition or starvation
Neurogenic Muscular Atrophy
Neurogenic atrophy affects the nerves that connect to muscle tissue. It is the most serious form of muscle atrophy. This type of atrophy occurs where there is an injury to these nerves, or the nerves are affected by the disease. Because there is damage to the nerve or nerves, this type of atrophy is usually not reversible.
Some conditions and diseases that can affect the nerves that control muscles include the following:
- Alcohol use
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig disease)
- Diabetes
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Nerve injury
- Polio (poliomyelitis)
- Single nerve damage, like as seen in carpal tunnel syndrome
- Spinal cord injury
- Toxins that damage nerves
Signs and Symptoms of Muscular Atrophy
Muscle atrophy is a symptom which means a loss or wasting away of muscle tissue. Symptoms that often accompany muscle atrophy, particularly symptoms of neuromuscular disorders include the following:
- Facial weakness
- Frequent falls
- Double vision
- Muscle weakness
- Droopy eyelids
- Muscle loss
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle twitching, cramps, aches, and pains
- Gradual memory loss
- Movement difficulties
- Numbness, tingling, or painful sensations
- Trouble swallowing
- Problems with balance
- Trouble breathing
- Loss of muscle coordination
- Progressive loss of movement
Causes of Muscular Atrophy
The cause of muscle atrophy depends on the type of muscular dystrophy atrophy. 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:
- Are malnourished
- Can’t move your limbs due to a stroke or other conditions such as dermatomyositis
- Don’t get enough exercise
- Have age-related atrophy (sarcopenia)
- Lead a sedentary lifestyle
- Sit at a desk job all day
- Are on best rest
- Have a genetic disorder such as muscular dystrophy (MD) or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
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. Therefore, 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 the following:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Polio
- Spinal cord injury
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Diagnosis of Muscular Atrophy
To diagnose muscle atrophy, your healthcare provider will give you a physical exam and ask you about your symptoms. They’ll look at your arms and legs and measure your muscle mass. In addition, your healthcare provider may order tests, including:
- Blood tests
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Electromyography (EMG)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Muscle or nerve biopsy
- Nerve conduction studies.
- X-rays.
Treatment of Muscular Atrophy
Treatment for muscle atrophy often involves treating the underlying condition. The success of these treatments also depends on what is causing the atrophy.
Physiologic atrophy often responds well to treatment and can even be reversed. These treatments include the following:
- Exercises such as resistance training
- Healthy lifestyle habits such as diet, sleep, and mindfulness
- Increased protein consumption
- Exercises with assistive devices such as braces or splints
- Low impact exercises such as swimming and water activities
- Rehabilitation exercises such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and passive movement (movement performed by the therapist)
The goal of the treatment is to get those muscles moving and being used in whatever way is possible.
Can Muscular Atrophy be reversed?
Disuse (physiologic) atrophy can sometimes be reversed with exercise and a healthy diet. Your healthcare provider may start you on a program that includes exercises in the pool. Working out in the water can reduce your muscle workload. Neurogenic atrophy typically can’t be reversed because of the physical damage that’s been done to your nerves.
How Long Does It Take to Recover from Muscular Atrophy?
The amount of time it takes to regain muscle after atrophy depends on the type of atrophy and how severe your condition was. Disuse (physiologic) atrophy is usually reversible, but it won’t happen overnight. You can recover from muscle atrophy by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Patients may start seeing improvement after a few months, but it may take much longer to fully recover your strength.
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