There are many issues that occur in the human body. Most of them cause pain to the body and need to be immediately diagnosed. If not treated, they can even cause death. The most common ailment of the human body is muscle pain. It is caused due to muscle weakness. Muscle weakness happens when the full effort does not produce a normal muscle contraction or movement. People can also call it reduced muscle strength.
Short-term muscle weakness happens to nearly everyone at some point. For example, a tough workout will exhaust the muscles in the body. One needs to give them a chance to recover by taking rest. Sometimes, one develops persistent muscle weakness or muscle weakness without any apparent cause. It may be a sign of an underlying health condition. Voluntary muscle contractions are usually generated when the brain sends a signal through the spinal cord and nerves to a muscle. If the brain, nervous system, muscles, or the connections between them are injured or affected by any disease, the muscles may not contract normally. This can be a cause of muscle weakness.
There are many health conditions that can cause muscle weakness. They are:
- Neuromuscular disorders like muscular dystrophies, multiple sclerosis (MS). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Autoimmune diseases such as Graves disease, myasthenia gravis, and Guillian-Barre syndrome
- Thyroid conditions such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
- Electrolyte imbalances such as hypokalemia (potassium deficiency), hypomagnesemia (magnesium deficiency), hypercalcemia (elevated calcium in the blood).
The other causes of muscle weakness are:
- Stroke
- Herniated disc
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- Hypotonia, a lack of muscle tone that is usually present at birth
- Peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve damage
- Neuralgia, or sharp burning or pain following the path of one or more nerves
- Polymyositis, or chronic muscle inflammation
- Prolonged bed rest or immobilization
- Alcoholism, which can cause alcoholic myopathy
- Polio
- West Nile virus
- Rheumatic fever
- Botulism
There are many muscular symptoms that may occur with muscle weakness as explained by Dr. R V S Bhalla. He is the Director, HOD, Internal Medicine, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad. They are burning fever, frequent episodes of falling, loss of muscle coordination, muscle spasms, pain, paralysis, pins-and-needles (prickling) sensation, twitching. Other bodily symptoms are Blurred or double vision, difficulty with speaking and swallowing, diarrhea, fainting, lethargy, change in the level of consciousness, fatigue, fever, memory loss and gradual difficulty in walking or speaking, nausea with or without vomiting, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs, unexplained weight loss, perspiration, and goiter.
The serious symptoms are abnormal pupil size or nonreactivity to light, change in the level of alertness like passing out or unresponsiveness, several abdominal cramps, sudden loss of vision or eye pain, and a very severe headache. Exercising is a very good way to eradicate muscle weakness but not too much of it.
Dr. Rajiv Kumar, MD Medicine, Kapoor Hospital, Uttarakhand explains what causes fever and why it is good for the body. He said that fever is caused when the human body tries to fight or rather kill the bacteria which has caused the infection in the body. The bacteria and viruses become happy when the body temperature is normal. It is because, at that time, they get the ground to spread in the body. The normal temperature of the human body is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If it rises above 99 degrees, it means that there is an infection in the human body which causes fever. Fever triggers the immune system which kills the bacteria spreading the infection.
Dr. Rekha Gupta of Varanasi explains the need for protein in the body. Nowadays a term has come up called “proffee”. It is nothing but coffee mixed with protein powder. She says that “proffee” is suitable for those who exercise. They can take it either in the morning before or after their exercise. It is beneficial to them because protein intake is necessary for the body. But the people who do not exercise or work out do not need it. It is because if they take it, the uric acid in their body rises. One scoop of protein powder contains 24 grams of protein. Only the experts will be able to suggest if one needs extra protein in their diet or not. These are some of the aspects one needs to know about their health.
