What is muscle atrophy. Causes of its occurrence

Atrophy of muscles is a consequence of such diseases as malignant tumors, avitaminosis, paralysis of the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Also, muscle atrophy can develop against a background of various kinds of trauma, starvation and intoxication.

There are the following forms of problems with muscles:

- Neuropathic form. It occurs as a consequence of damage to the spinal cord or large nerve trunks.

Ischemic form. Development of this form of the disease is preceded by thrombosis of large vessels or compression of the feeding artery by scar tissue, exostosis or tumor.

Functional form. The cause of development in this case is inactivity, which arises from such pathologies as arthritis, osteomyelitis and the like.

If we talk about the pattern of pathogenesis, then for different forms it is slightly different. Thus, the atrophy of muscles of neuropathic origin is fraught with the complete disappearance of muscle cells. In this case, the muscle fibers become thinner, their nuclei as a result of such modifications appear in voids. As a result, the muscle pattern disappears. After two to three months in the affected muscles, it is almost impossible to distinguish between "red" and "white" fibers. Parallel with these processes, creatine, glycogen, lactic acid and phosphocreatine are reduced.

The pathogenesis of ischemic atrophy is different in that there is no cell degeneration. With this form of the disease, the violation of the arterial blood supply becomes important. In this regard, the inflow of nutrients is significantly reduced. The volume of the working muscle, respectively, decreases. Once the influx of blood is restored, the affected areas gradually return to their original form.

Atrophy of muscles is easily determined by clinical signs. At visual inspection atrophies are immediately visible, especially on the background of symmetrical parts of the body. Unlike healthy, damaged muscles are much denser and much smaller in their volume. When palpation revealed a weakly expressed defensive reaction. Bony protrusions in the area of affected areas are evident. Muscular atrophy especially develops rapidly due to paralysis of the motor nerves.

In the case when it comes to ischemic and functional muscle atrophy, the main disease is of great importance, which serves as the impetus for the pathology in question. If the diagnosis is carried out correctly, then make a prediction for the future and choose the appropriate treatment will not be difficult. In some cases, there may be a need for differential diagnosis. It's about functional and neurogenic atrophy. In this situation, the clinical picture can not be limited. A mandatory condition in this case will be a muscle test using galvanic current. In the absence of a reaction to the current, everything points to the atrophy of muscles of neurogenic origin.

With regard to treatment, it is usually reduced to the relief of the underlying disease. Based on the symptoms and course of this pathology, even uninitiated people can understand that muscle atrophy, the treatment of which is reduced to performing massage procedures, is a concomitant disease. In addition to the course treatment of the underlying disease, in this case, injections of strychnine, B and E vitamins, and veratrine are indicated. Great importance is attached to physiotherapy.

In conclusion, I would like to note the importance of conducting a regular preventive examination. Most of us avoid this kind of procedure, which is completely in vain. Perhaps, one should not explain to anyone that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to treat it and the subsequent consequences. And in some cases the result can be irreversible. Remember this and try to find time for prevention!