Muscle Weakness

Muscle weakness is a little more than just a general feeling of tiredness and fatigue. In clinical terms, muscle weakness is what happens when you are unable to have a regular muscular contraction despite giving it your best effort. Even the term weak muscles is often used in a clinical setting to describe this problem.

While muscle weakness can and does happen to almost everyone at various points in their lives—after a particularly difficult workout for example—long-term weakness or weakness without a discernable catalyst can point to a larger problem. 

I will now explore some of the causes of muscle weakness and the treatment options for them.

Causes of Muscle Weakness

There are numerous conditions that can either cause or contribute to muscle weakness in some way. Some of these conditions include:

 

• Chronic Fatigue
• Hypotonia
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Polio
• Graves Disease
• Various types of Muscular Dystrophy

The above is by no means an exhaustive list but should give readers an idea of some of the more common conditions that can spark muscle weakness.

How to Assess Possible Muscle Weakness

As I said before, it is often normal to experience some weakness after you've put a lot of extra strain on the muscle groups. However, if you are experiencing fatigue in the muscles and you don't think you've done anything to cause it, I recommend making an appointment with a qualified professional to get their opinion. This doctor will almost certainly check your muscle tone and reflexes among other things, to get a sense of how precisely the muscle weakness is affecting you.

Various medical scans may help to reveal some of the underlying causes of your muscle weakness and help your doctor to recommend appropriate treatments. 

Before I move on to the various treatments available for muscle weakness, a quick word of caution—definitely contact a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following:

• Sudden and rapid muscle weakness
• Numbness
• Difficulty moving limbs
• Difficulty making facial movements
• Difficulty breathing

Treatment Options For Muscle Weakness

Aside from the possible medical treatments you might encounter, there are a variety of effective muscle weakness treatment options you can use at home. .

It may seem obvious but spending some time laying down or perhaps days in bed, depending on your symptoms, will give your muscles the time they need to recover from their weakness. Keep in mind that causes such as the flu or a common cold will contribute to muscle weakness.

At first, exercise to treat muscle weakness may seem counter-intuitive to you. I don't mean a hardcore workout or a long run. Rather, you should alternative been rest and very light exercise. This keeps the muscles active and fit while still giving them ample time to recover. In addition, I recommend taking things slowly and not returning to regular activities at full speed, but gradually instead. 

Weakness in the muscles, particularly from catalysts like the flu, also steal vital fluids. If you are especially exhausted, remember to hydrate regularly to help your body get what it needs to recover.

Sleep Well 

If your work keeps you up late, consider changing the routine and getting to bed earlier to sleep longer and deeper, at least until you recover.

Medical Options

For many conditions associated with muscle weakness, your physician may simply recommend ice, prescribe pain relievers or provide you with a compression sleeve. The last is especially true if you're experiencing muscle weakness in the legs and hips.