Muscular weakness

Muscular weakness is a frequent problem with which patients see doctors of different specialties. In medicine the term muscular weakness means reduction of the muscle strength estimated objectively. Extent of this defeat can be various. Paralysis represents total absence of autokinesias in any group of muscles. Weakening of such movements is called paresis.

Reasons of muscular weakness

Muscular weakness can accompany absolutely different diseases. Usually such complaint is read on reception at the neurologist or the therapist. Often patients mean fatigue, decrease in sensitivity, difficulty of the movement and even decrease in the general vitality. Adults are disturbed more by muscular weakness in legs. It is known that heart failure is shown in emergence of an asthma and reduction of ability to perform physical activity, even walking. A part of patients incorrectly interprets this state as muscular weakness. The deforming osteoarthrosis of large joints significantly reduces amplitude of the movement in them that too promotes reduction of transferable loadings and can be perceived as weakness in muscles. At adults exchange disturbances, including a diabetes mellitus 2 types are eurysynusic. This disease is followed by diabetic polyneuropathy at which peripheral neurons most often are surprised, and muscular weakness in legs appears. All these reasons of muscular weakness, generally appear after forty years. At the child muscular weakness speaks about pathology of a nervous system more often. The first minutes of life the pediatrician estimates the newborn's condition, including a tone of muscles. Decrease in a tone is connected with birth trauma and other reasons. So, the reasons of muscular weakness are various. Diseases of nervous tissue (the central and peripheral nervous system), endocrine disturbances (adrenal insufficiency, a thyrotoxicosis, a hyperparathyreosis), other states (a dermatomyositis or a polymiositis, muscular dystrophies, mitochondrial myopathies, hysteria, botulism, various poisonings, anemia) can be them.

Diagnosis of a disease

For clarification of the reason of muscular weakness full examination of the patient is conducted. The doctor talks to the patient: finds out when for the first time there were symptoms of muscular weakness that influences displays of a disease in what groups of muscles defeat is localized. Besides, for diagnosis earlier postponed diseases, heredity on neurologic diseases and the accompanying symptoms matter. Further the general objective inspection of the patient and a research of muscles is performed. At an evaluation stage of muscles determine the volume of muscular tissue, symmetry of its arrangement, turgor of fabrics. Assessment of tendon jerks is obligatory. Expressiveness of a reflex is estimated on the scale having six gradation (lack of reflexes, decrease in reflexes, norm, increase, a passing clonus, a steady clonus). It is necessary to consider that at the healthy person superficial reflexes (for example, belly) can be absent, and the Babinski's reflex is norm at newborns. Muscle strength is estimated on a special scale. Lack of muscular contractions corresponds on it to zero, and a full animal force – to five points. Points from one to four estimate different extent of decrease in an animal force. At damage of the central nervous system weakness is shown in the extremity opposite to the center of defeat in a brain. So, if the stroke occurred in the left hemisphere, paresis and paralyzes develop in the right extremities. In hands razgibatel suffer more, than muscles sgibatel. In the lower extremities usually all on the contrary. At damage of the central part of the nervous system (a head and spinal cord), weakness is followed by increase in a muscle tone, revival of deep tendon jerks, emergence of pathological reflexes (Goffman, Babinsky). At defeat of a peripheral nervous system weakness is limited to defeat of a zone of an innervation of a specific nerve; muscle tone always low; deep reflexes are weakened or are absent. Bystry twitchings of bunches of muscles (fastsilyation) can sometimes be observed. For specification of the diagnosis some functional trials can be carried out: the patient ask to make this or that movement.

Treatment of muscular weakness

After establishment of the diagnosis, the doctor chooses treatment of muscular weakness according to modern recommendations. If pathology of a nervous system became the reason of muscular weakness, therapy is carried out by the neuropathologist. Physiotherapy exercises, massage, physiotreatment, symptomatic therapy, trombolitik, neuroprotectors, vitamins and other drugs can be used. At the child muscular weakness the children's neurologist and the pediatrician reveal and treat.