Term
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Definition
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Cause
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Effect
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Atony
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A state in which muscles are floppy, lacking their
normal elasticity.
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Many possible causes.
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Muscles are floppy, lacking their normal elasticity.
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Atrophy |
Generally, the wasting away of a normally developed
organ or tissue due to degeneration of cells. In the
case of muscle tissue, the individual muscle fibers
decrease in size due to a progressive loss of myofibrils. |
Generally, possible causes include undernourishment,
disuse or ageing. |
|
- Disuse Atrophy : muscles atrophy
because they are not used. Bedridden individuals
and people with casts that immobilize large
muscle groups may experience disuse atrophy
because the flow of nerve impulses to the
inactive muscle is greatly reduced.
- Denervation atrophy : occurs when a muscle's
nerve impulses cease in it's motor neurons.
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- Need physiotherapy to gradually re-build the muscle.
- In 6-24 months the denervated muscle will be one
quarter of it's original size and the muscle fibers
will be replaced by fibrous connective tissue. The transition
to fibrous connective tissue, when complete, cannot
be reversed.
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Cramp
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Prolonged painful involuntary contraction of skeletal muscle.
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It is sometimes caused by an imbalance of the salts in the body, but is more often a result of fatigue, imperfect posture, or stress.
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Pain
Possibly inability to perform specific tasks (e.g. of 'occupational cramp' is 'writer's cramp')
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Fibrositis
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Inflammation of fibrous connective tissues in muscles. It often affects the muscles of the trunk and back.
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It may be a symptom of another disease, such as sciatica, but in most cases the cause is unknown.
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Pain and stiffness.
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Muscle Fatigue
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Tiredness following prolonged or intense activity.
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May be due to de-hydration (loss of water and NaCl, that is 'sodium chloride', or 'common salt'), and the waste products of metabolism accumulating in the muscles faster than they can be removed by the venous blood.
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Tired / aching muscles
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Myositis
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Inflammation of muscle fibers / Any of a group of muscle diseases in which inflammation and degenerative changes occur.
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(A minority are caused by bacterial or parasitic infections.)
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Spasm
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A sustained involuntary muscular contraction (which may occur either as part of a generalized disorder such as spastic paralysis, or as a local response to an otherwise unconnected painful condition.)
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May occur either as part of a generalized disorder such as spastic paralysis, or as a local response to an otherwise unconnected painful condition.
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Pain
Lack of use of body parts normally moved by the muscle in spasm.
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Spasticity
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= Muscular Hypertonicity (i.e. an increase in the state
of readiness of muscle fibers to contract;
an increase in partial contraction) with
an increased resistance to stretch. Moderate
cases show movement requiring great effort
and a lack of normal coordination, while
slight cases show exaggerated movements
that are coordinated.
= Resistance to the passive movement of a limb that
is maximal at the beginning of the movement and gives
way as more pressure is applied.
|
This is a symptom of damage to the cortiscospinal tracts
in the brain or spinal cord. It is usually accompanied
by weakness in the affected limb.
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Increase in the state of readiness of muscle fibers
to contract with an increased resistance
to stretch.
Moderate cases show movement requiring great effort
and a lack of normal coordination, while slight
cases show exaggerated movements that are coordinated.
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Sprain
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Injury to a ligament, caused by overstretching.
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Overstretching of ligament.
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As the ligament is not severed it gradually heals, but this may take several months.
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Strain
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Excessive stretching or working of a muscle, resulting in pain and swelling of the muscle.
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Damage to muscle caused by overstretching.
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Pain
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