Muscle Disorders
Muscle disorders otherwise referred to as myopathy may cause pain, weakness or even paralysis if left untreated for quite sometime. Different muscle types help a person move and work thus, muscle problems should immediately be taken care of so as not to make them worse that may later affect one’s mobility. Some types of muscle disorders include injury or abuse, genetic factors, inflammation, diseases that affect the nerves and muscles, various infections and certain medicines used to cure other body ailments.
Symptoms and causes of muscle disorders
Sustained injuries of the muscles are caused by accidents such as sprains or strains, cramps and tendonitis. Some genetic causes of muscle disorders are muscular dystrophy and cancers; inflammation disorder or myositis. Muscle sprain is characterized by stretched or torn ligaments or tissues that connect one’s bones at a joint. Some accidents that cause one to fall, twist or get hit can cause a person to have a sprain which are common in ankles and wrists joints. Symptoms of a sprain include bruises, swelling, severe pain and inability to move affected joints.
One of the forms of muscle disorders is a strain which is characterized by a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Strains are caused by twisting or pulling of the tissues which could possibly happen suddenly or may develop over time and usually affects a person’s back and hamstring muscles. These are commonly sustained by people who are overly active in sports with symptoms that include spasms, severe pains, swelling and inability in moving the affected muscle parts.
Still one of the very common muscle disorders is caused by sudden, involuntary spasms or contractions of one’s muscles called cramps. Muscle cramps often occur at night while sleeping triggered by sudden movement and usually lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes, after exercise or during strenuous playing, running and brisk walking. Other cramps causes are muscle strain or overuse, dehydration, mineral deficiency in one’s body and blocked blood flow to affected muscles. Another problem is tendonitis which is the inflammation of tendons that are attached to bones and help muscles move the bones. It causes pain and tenderness in the heels, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows or wrists.
Myositis is also one of known muscle disorders characterized by inflammation of the skeletal muscles called voluntary muscles that control movement of the body. Myositis can be caused by infection, accident or injury and autoimmune diseases such as polymyositis and dermatomyositis that both causes muscle weakness but the latter is also accompanied by skin rashes.
Prevention and Treatment of Muscle Disorders
Muscle disorders are usually relieved by resting the affected area. The cramps caused by malfunction of nerves can be relieved by gentle massage and stretching and needs no taking of medications. For sprains and strains, a person will usually be made to rest, apply ice and wear a bandage or a device to compress the affected muscle or joint. Taking of recommended medicines such as pain relievers, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs and if needed later, treatment may include regular exercise and physical therapy sessions. Rheumatoid arthritis which is the known cause of tendonitis is prevented by stretching, cross-training and decreasing intensity when doing exercises. It is treated by medicines such as pain reliever and anti-inflammatory drugs to decrease swelling; steroid injections; and physical therapy or surgery. Myositis can be cured with administration of prednisone which is a steroidal drug.