Download Muscular System Diseases

Muscular System Diseases
Muscular System Diseases
Your muscles help you move and help your body work. Different types of muscles have
different jobs. There are many problems that can affect muscles. Muscle disorders can
cause weakness, pain or even paralysis. Causes of muscle disorders include injury or
overuse, such as sprains or strains, cramps or tendinitis, a genetic disorder, such as
muscular dystrophy, some cancers, inflammation, such as myositis, diseases of nerves
that affect muscles, and infections. Sometimes the cause is not known.
Sprains or Strains – A sprain is a stretched
or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that
connect bones at a joint. Falling, twisting,
or getting hit can all cause a sprain. Ankle
and wrist sprains are common. Symptoms
include pain, swelling, bruising, and being
unable to move your joint. You might feel a
pop or tear when the injury happens. A
strain is a stretched or torn muscle or
tendon. Tendons are tissues that connect
muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling these
tissues can cause a strain. Strains can
happen suddenly or develop over time.
Back and hamstring muscle strains are
common. Many people get strains playing sports. Symptoms include pain, muscle
spasms, swelling, and trouble moving the muscle.
Muscle Cramps – Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions or spasms in one
or more of your muscles. They often occur after exercise or at night, lasting a few
seconds to several minutes. It is a very common muscle problem. Muscle cramps can be
caused by nerves that malfunction. Sometimes this malfunction is due to a health
problem, such as a spinal cord injury or a pinched nerve in the neck or back. Other
causes are straining or overusing a muscle, dehydration, a lack of minerals in your diet
or the depletion of minerals in your body, not enough blood getting to your
muscles. Cramps can be very painful. Stretching or gently massaging the muscle can
relieve this pain.
Myositis – Myositis means inflammation of the muscles that you use to move your body.
An injury, infection, or autoimmune disease can cause it. Two specific kinds are
polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Polymyositis causes muscle weakness, usually in the
muscles closest to the trunk of your body. Dermatomyositis causes muscle weakness,
plus a skin rash. Other symptoms of myositis may include fatigue after walking or
standing, tripping or falling, trouble swallowing or breathing. There is no known cure
for these diseases, but you can treat the symptoms. Polymyositis and dermatomyositis
are first treated with high doses of acorticosteroid. Other options include medications,
physical therapy, exercise, heat therapy, assistive devices, and rest.
Fibromyalgia – Fibromyalgia is a disorder
that causes muscle pain and fatigue. People with fibromyalgia have “tender points” on
the body. Tender points are specific places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms,
and legs. These points hurt when pressure is put on them. People with fibromyalgia
may also have other symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches,
painful menstrual periods, tingling or numbness in hands and feet, problems with
thinking and memory (sometimes called “fibro fog”). No one knows what causes
fibromyalgia. Anyone can get it, but it is most common in middle-aged women. People
with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are particularly likely to
develop fibromyalgia.
Tendonitis- Repeated strain on a tendon, attachment of a muscle to bone, can
inflame the tendon resulting in pain and difficulty with movement involving the
muscle. Tendons have a poor blood supply; therefore, they typically take a long time
to heal on the order of six weeks or more.
Rotator cuff tear - Muscles surrounding the
shoulder joint are involved in rotating the shoulder with upper arm and hand forward
and backward, among other movements. The tendons of these muscles also contribute
to the structural strength of the shoulder joint. Hard, fast movements, such as in tennis
and baseball can tear one of these tendons resulting in pain and decreased mobility of
the shoulder. Surgery may be needed to repair a torn tendon.
Muscular dystrophy - Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited diseases in which the
muscles that control movement progressively weaken. The prefix, dys-, means
abnormal. The root, -trophy, refers to maintaining normal nourishment, structure and
function. The most common form in children is called Duchenne muscular dystrophy
and affects only males. It usually appears between the ages of 2 to 6 and the afflicted
live typically into late teens to early 20s.
Myasthenia gravis - “Muscular weakness, profound”. This is an autoimmune disease
that involves production of antibodies that interfere with nerves stimulating muscle
contractions. Face and neck muscles are the most obviously affected, manifesting as
drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty swallowing and general fatigue. There is no
actual paralysis of muscles involved, but a rapid fatiguing of function.
Source:
Des
Moines
University
Online
Medical
Terminology
course, http://www.dmu.edu/medterms/musculoskeletal-system/musculoskeletalsystem-diseases/