Movement is a vital part of everyday life, and conditions that affect it can weigh heavily on a patient’s quality of life. Movement-related disorders come in many forms and can be grouped by their characteristics. In Thailand, the Institute of Neurology under the Department of Medical Services notes that muscle weakness can leave patients feeling weak throughout the body, that its causes are numerous, and that cases can be divided into true muscle weakness and perceived muscle weakness, including severe muscle weakness.
In this article, we take a closer look at muscle weakness disease, as follows.
What Is ALS?
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is not a disease of the muscles themselves, but a condition caused by abnormalities in the motor neurons that carry commands to them. Muscle weakness makes it hard for the muscles to contract normally, which reduces strength and limits the body’s ability to move. It can turn everyday activities and the movement of the arms, legs, and body into a struggle.
In severe cases, muscle weakness can interfere with a patient’s ability to move, sit, stand, walk, and keep their balance, to the point where they need a wheelchair and sometimes a compact home lift installed to make going up and down inside the house easier. Muscle weakness may stem from an underlying condition, but it can also have other causes.
What Causes It?
There are several medical hypotheses: it may stem from disorders of the nervous system, from chemical factors, or from genetics. A number of health conditions can also cause muscle weakness, such as the following.
Addison’s Disease
A condition that occurs when the adrenal cortex is damaged, leaving the adrenal glands unable to produce enough of the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
Anemia
A condition that occurs when the body has fewer red blood cells than normal, so less oxygen reaches the cells and tissues of the organs, which in turn causes the body to malfunction.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A disorder whose symptoms signal that the body needs rest. It stems from a hormonal imbalance in the body or from mental health problems.
Diabetes
A chronic condition of high blood sugar caused by impaired insulin production, impaired insulin function, or both. Diabetes is often linked to a number of serious complications.
Fibromyalgia
A chronic pain syndrome in which the pain is usually spread over several points throughout the body, especially in the muscles, tendons, and soft tissues.
Kidney Disease
A condition in which the kidneys do not work properly. It goes by several names, such as kidney failure, kidney deterioration, and reduced kidney function, and it falls into two main types: acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease.
Sleep Disorders
Patients often experience broken sleep, pauses in breathing during sleep, low blood oxygen while asleep, frequent urination, waking up unrefreshed, headaches, and daytime drowsiness.
How Is ALS Diagnosed?
A doctor starts with an initial diagnosis based on the patient’s history and symptoms, which can be done in several ways, such as checking whether eyelid movement is normal or abnormal in some way. The doctor may refer the patient to a neurologist or an ophthalmologist for further diagnosis, and the following tests may be used as well.
Electromyography (EMG)
Electromyography is a technique used to measure the electrical signals in the nerves and muscles.
Electrical instruments are used to diagnose abnormalities of the nerves and muscles, together with the patient’s history and physical examination.
Nerve Conduction Study (NCS)
This study measures how well the nerves can send impulses to the muscles in different parts of the body. The test can identify whether you have nerve damage. EMG and NCS are almost always performed together.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Using radio waves and a powerful magnetic field, an MRI produces detailed images of the brain and spinal cord. It can detect spinal cord tumors, a herniated disc in the neck, or other conditions.
Blood and Urine Tests
Laboratory analysis of blood and urine samples can help rule out other possible causes of ALS symptoms and pinpoint the cause more precisely, since other conditions can produce similar symptoms.
Spinal Tap or Lumbar Puncture
A procedure used both for diagnosis and for treatment. Cerebrospinal fluid is drawn off with a fine needle inserted between two vertebrae in the lower back. This is commonly done for people with ALS.
How Is ALS Treated?
Once the cause of the muscle weakness is known, your healthcare provider will recommend a suitable course of treatment. Your treatment plan will depend on the underlying cause of the weakness and on how severe the symptoms are.
Treatment Options for Conditions That Cause Muscle Weakness
Medication
Medication treats the symptoms and focuses on strengthening the body’s immune system, and it is the mainstay of treatment for this condition. The drugs fall into two groups: the first works by boosting the activity of neurotransmitters, and the second consists of immunosuppressants, taken as prescribed by a doctor.
Physical Therapy
A physical therapist can recommend exercises that improve quality of life.
For example, a physical therapist may recommend progressive resistance exercise to help people with MS (a disease caused by inflammation of the nerve sheaths in the central nervous system) rebuild muscles that have weakened from disuse. For people with ALS, a physical therapist may recommend stretching and range-of-motion exercises to prevent muscle stiffness.
Caring for someone with muscle weakness begins with an accurate diagnosis, because only then can the care be given the right way, and because the condition makes daily life so difficult. Cibes Lift understands this and wants to be part of what helps these patients move around their home as freely as before, with a home lift.
