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Muscle atrophy

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Active vs. inactive muscle

Muscular atrophy

Overview

Treatment

Muscle atrophyDefinition:

Muscle atrophy refers to the wasting or loss of muscle tissue resulting from disease or lack of use.Alternative Names:Muscle wasting; Wasting; Atrophy of the muscles Considerations:

The majority of muscle atrophy in the general population results from disuse. People with sedentary jobs and senior citizens with decreased activity can lose muscle tone and develop significant atrophy. This type of atrophy is reversible with vigorous exercise.

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Bed-ridden people can undergo significant muscle wasting. Astronauts, free of the gravitational pull of Earth, can develop decreased muscle tone and loss of calcium from their bones following just a few days of weightlessness.

Muscle atrophy resulting from disease rather than disuse is generally one of two types, that resulting from damage to the nerves that supply the muscles, and disease of the muscle itself.

Examples of diseases affecting the nerves that control muscles would be poliomyelitis (polio), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Examples of diseases affecting primarily the muscles would include muscular dystrophy, myotonia congenita, and myotonic dystrophy as well as other congenital, inflammatory, or metabolic myopathies (muscle diseases).

Even minor muscle atrophy usually results in some loss of mobility or power.Common Causes:

some atrophy that occurs normally with aging cerebrovascular accident (stroke) spinal cord injury peripheral nerve injury (peripheral neuropathy) other injury prolonged immobilization osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis prolonged corticosteroid therapy diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) burns poliomyelitis amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) Guillain-Barre syndrome muscular dystrophy myotonia congenita myotonic dystrophy myopathy

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Privacy Policy | Service Terms and Agreement | Contact Us | About Us By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2001-2007. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Guest guest]

HealthCentral.com

Home > Health Encyclopedia > Muscle atrophy

Muscle atrophy

From our partner site on chronic pain, ChronicPainConnection.com.

Find ways to get chronic pain relief!

Find a right treatment for your chronic pain

Join our community - your chronic pain support group.

Injury

Disease

Nutrition

Poison

Symptoms

Surgery

Test

Special Topic

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Active vs. inactive muscle

Muscular atrophy

Overview

Treatment

Muscle atrophyDefinition:

Muscle atrophy refers to the wasting or loss of muscle tissue resulting from disease or lack of use.Alternative Names:Muscle wasting; Wasting; Atrophy of the muscles Considerations:

The majority of muscle atrophy in the general population results from disuse. People with sedentary jobs and senior citizens with decreased activity can lose muscle tone and develop significant atrophy. This type of atrophy is reversible with vigorous exercise.

text continues below

advertisement

Bed-ridden people can undergo significant muscle wasting. Astronauts, free of the gravitational pull of Earth, can develop decreased muscle tone and loss of calcium from their bones following just a few days of weightlessness.

Muscle atrophy resulting from disease rather than disuse is generally one of two types, that resulting from damage to the nerves that supply the muscles, and disease of the muscle itself.

Examples of diseases affecting the nerves that control muscles would be poliomyelitis (polio), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Examples of diseases affecting primarily the muscles would include muscular dystrophy, myotonia congenita, and myotonic dystrophy as well as other congenital, inflammatory, or metabolic myopathies (muscle diseases).

Even minor muscle atrophy usually results in some loss of mobility or power.Common Causes:

some atrophy that occurs normally with aging cerebrovascular accident (stroke) spinal cord injury peripheral nerve injury (peripheral neuropathy) other injury prolonged immobilization osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis prolonged corticosteroid therapy diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) burns poliomyelitis amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) Guillain-Barre syndrome muscular dystrophy myotonia congenita myotonic dystrophy myopathy

Email this page Printer friendly Bookmark this page

Sponsored Health Centers

Specialist Pharmacists offer better value, better care, and better service. Learn how. Who gets Heart Valve Disease and how is it treated? Find out more about diagnosing and managing Heart Valve Diseases- From our Sponsor Just Diagnosed with Cancer? Chat with Cancer Experts Now ADHD Health Center: Videos, Polls, ADHD Overviews and More There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but there are treatments that can help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Learn more. Don't let Crohn's Disease Slow You Down. Get Informed Today! Meningitis Education Center: Fast Facts, Symptoms and Next Steps

What's New

Feeling a Little Blue During the Holidays?

Holiday blues could be more than just seasonal depression. Check your symptoms here! More

HealthCentral Network Health Sites

Acid Reflux Allergy ADHD Alzheimer's Anxiety Asthma Bipolar Breast Cancer Caregiver Cholesterol Chronic Pain Depression Diabetes Diet & Exercise Erectile Dysfunction Food & Fitness HealthCare '08 Heart Herpes High Blood Pressure Incontinence Migraine Multiple Scleroris Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Prostate Rheumatoid Arthritis Schizophrenia Skin Cancer Sleep

Find a Therapist Enter Zip Code Powered by Psychology Today

font size A A A

Answer questions, check symptoms, find resources

Symptoms A-Z Health Centers Health Library Medical Breakthroughs 3D Medical Animations Video Library People's Pharmacy

Take action, achieve goals, resolve a problem

Drug Library Health Tools Healthy Recipes Nutrition & Exercise Caregiving Resources Find a Therapist In-Depth Reports

Learn from people who have been through it, interact with leading health care professionals, share your own inspirational stories and much more.

from our Migraine Site

Bonk (profile) posted 11/27comments(0)

Our Expert

Living With It

Are You Going to Get Through the Holidays Without a Migraine? Thanksgiving is over and I actually made it through without a Migraine. Now I... Read more

from our Diabetes Site

Dr. Bill Quick (profile) posted 6/26comments(0)

Our Expert

Health Professional

Should you buy an insulin pump from a previous user? I noticed recently that a Web site I was visiting had an area for comments,... Read more

advertisement

advertisement

Featured Advertiser Links

advertisement

Books from Our Experts

Featuring Content From:

Awards:

Privacy Policy | Service Terms and Agreement | Contact Us | About Us By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2001-2007. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. All rights reserved.