Riyadh: Dr. Abeer Mubarak
You definitely get upset when opening a jar of pickles or jam becomes difficult for you, but this is to be expected if you are not interested in strengthening your muscular abilities.
But are there other causes of muscle weakness that have nothing to do with how much exercise you do to strengthen the muscles? Yes, there are several reasons for this, and certain undiagnosed medical conditions can cause muscles to wear out more quickly or make a person feel fatigued while using the muscles. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to it, and dealing with it to treat it, so that one of us does not allow the matter to fester and only attribute his muscular weakness to his lack of physical exercise.
Causes of muscle weakness
Among these reasons are reasons that some people may not expect, and their cause of muscle weakness is an indication that should be alerted to him to see a doctor. Here are the most common reasons:
* Anemia. Anemia is a condition that occurs when the blood does not contain enough hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Thus, the blood’s ability to carry the necessary amount of oxygen to the body’s tissues and organs, especially the muscles, decreases.
There are many causes of anemia, and it often occurs for more than one reason, either acutely and quickly or chronically and slowly, either as a result of the body not producing enough healthy red blood cells that contain normal amounts of good hemoglobin. It also comes as a result of a lack of iron or folate vitamins or B-12, or the presence of diseases in the bone marrow (where red blood cells are produced), or genetic diseases related to disorders of hemoglobin production (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, or others).
Also, anemia may occur as a result of bleeding that leads to the loss of red blood cells more quickly than the body can compensate for. Especially in women with menstrual disorders. Or when the body abnormally destroys red blood cells.
Signs and symptoms of anemia may include: fatigue, weakness, pale or yellow skin, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or dizziness, chest pain, cold hands and feet, or headache. The infected person may have some or many of these symptoms.
Muscle weakness has multiple causes in anemia, the most important of which is the lack of oxygen supply to the muscles and the ease of feeling tired, tired and short of breath. Anemia may also, according to some of its causes, affect the structure of muscle fibers, their functional capabilities, the rate of their renewal, and other mechanisms.
Diabetes and thyroid
* diabetes. The main sign of diabetes is a disorder in the body’s ability to control blood glucose levels. This is accompanied by, and results in, wide disorders – functional and structural – in several systems and organs in the body, including muscles, nerves, blood vessels, kidneys, heart, and others.
It should be noted that increased fat mass is not the only reason for increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Rather, the lack of muscle mass in the body, Sarcopenia (or the so-called skinny fat), is related to the risk of developing diabetes.
The negative effects of type 2 diabetes on muscles can be divided into three categories: muscle fatigue, poor muscle strength, and decreased muscle mass. In muscle fatigue, the straining of the muscles in movement leads to a faster weakening phase and increases the amount of time it takes for the muscle to recover or return to its full strength. That is, diabetics lose their muscles faster than those of a healthy person and take longer to recover.
Type 2 diabetes also reduces overall muscle strength, regardless of age, gender, smoking or obesity. People with type 2 diabetes have less fist strength than healthy people.
And muscle mass in the body in people with type 2 diabetes is less than in the general healthy adults. The longer you have diabetes, the more frequent the loss of muscle mass, especially in the lower extremities.
* Thyroid disorders. The thyroid gland, which is located in front of the trachea in the neck, plays an essential role in the activity of all body cells. By secreting thyroid hormones. Therefore, it is the symptoms associated with thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism) that often alert to the possibility of these conditions. This is confirmed by blood tests for low or high levels of these thyroid hormones. Females in general are more likely to suffer from thyroid disorders than males, by nearly ten times. One of the initial symptoms of conditions affecting the thyroid gland is suffering from muscle weakness and pain, in addition to joint and muscle pain.
In cases of thyroid laziness, the activity level of many processes in the cells of the body, including the muscles, decreases. Thus, muscle strength is weakened. The stiffness of joint movement associated with thyroid laziness increases the complexity of matters in the freedom and activity of moving the muscles, the extent of the efficiency of their strength, and in the spasm and discomfort of the muscles. In some cases, the percentage of muscle enzymes rises in the blood, as an indicator of damage and rupture of muscle cells.
In cases of increased thyroid activity, the muscles are affected quickly, and symptoms appear at an early age. Such as muscle pain, weak strength and decreased size.
– Sleep disturbance and salts
* Sleep disorders. In their study published in the February 2018 issue of J Sci Med Sport, titled “Inadequate Sleep and Muscle Strength: Implications,” Australian researchers from Deakin University in Australia say, “Inadequate sleep impairs muscle strength in performing movements.
And many other studies indicate that lack of sleep harms the activity of protein synthesis in muscles. Brazilian researchers explained this by saying: «Sleep is necessary for the cellular, organic and systemic functions of the organism. And lack of sleep reduces the activity of the protein synthesis pathways and increases the activity of the protein degradation pathways, which causes a loss of muscle mass, as well as insomnia hinders muscle recovery following damage caused by exercises, injuries, and some cases associated with muscle atrophy.
Medical sources also report that sleep disorders, such as insomnia, can lead to daytime muscle weakness and fatigue. A person who needs to stay in bed due to a medical condition may also experience muscle weakness. This results from the muscles not being used as regularly as usual.
It is observed medically that muscles need a sufficient period of sleep, in order to rearrange their anatomical structure at the level of muscle fibers, and re-coordinate their communication with the muscle tendons that connect them to joints and bones. Thus, she regains her ability to perform her duties with normal strength. And sleep disorders clearly hinder this.
Salt disorders. The precise anatomical structure of muscle cells contains muscle fibers. They are chains of proteins. And those chains slide to each other, to become close and compressed, and muscular contractions occur. Then they move away from each other, to become long, and a state of diastasis or muscle relaxation occurs. One of the most fundamental factors is the availability of what are called electrolytes.
Electrolytes are elements of the electrolytes sodium, potassium and calcium… They are very necessary in the formation and completion of processes for the normal contraction of skeletal muscles, and in their rest following that contraction. Its deficiency or its high percentage in the body is a major cause of muscle dysfunction, muscle fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle pain. For example, the excess buildup of ammonia and hydrogen ions following strenuous bouts of physical activity leads to slow muscle contraction and poor strength. Certain medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies also cause disturbances in electrolyte levels such as calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium. Excessively high or low levels of these ions in the blood are associated with symptoms such as muscle weakness or muscle cramping.
Therefore, one of the most important signs of salt disorders in the body is muscle capacity disorders. Conducting the necessary analyzes to ensure the moderate proportion of these elements is a first step in diagnosing the cause of muscular weakness. Then the search for the cause of any of them is disturbed. That is, either poor nutrition or disorders of the functioning of the kidneys, digestive system, liver, or others.
– medicines
* Types of medicines. Medicines that a person takes, on a regular basis to treat chronic conditions, or from time to time for a health or unhealthy reason, is one of the possible causes of feeling muscular weakness, muscle pain, or easy muscle fatigue.
There are many possible causes of muscle problems from taking different types of medications. One of these mechanisms is to cause inflammation in the muscles, which leads to weakness, wasting and pain. Several types of commonly used medications are linked to the development of myositis in some people. These include some recreational drugs, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, drugs that affect the hormonal system, cholesterol medications, as well as heart and stomach medications.
For example, several medical studies indicated that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, may weaken the compensatory response by the body to repair injured muscles, which contributes to suffering from weakness and chronic muscle pain. It also hinders muscle rebuilding processes. Therefore, it is worth reducing its intake except when necessary, and according to the advice of the doctor.
So are statin-class cholesterol-lowering drugs, which are commonly used. It may cause some patients to damage and sore muscles. It may cause a higher percentage of them to have muscle pain, especially in women. It has effects on muscle growth. Therefore, it is taken under medical supervision, following up on the extent of any muscle symptoms as a result, and conducting the necessary analyzes to ascertain the level of muscle enzymes, and the doctor may have to advise reducing the dose or stopping taking it.
* Consultant in internal medicine
