Overview
Muscle weakness happens when your full effort doesn’t produce a normal muscle contraction or movement.
It’s sometimes called:
- reduced muscle strength
- 肌肉弱点
- weak muscles
Whether you’re ill or you simply need rest, short-term muscle weakness happens to nearly everyone at some point. A tough workout, for instance, will exhaust your muscles until you’ve given them a chance to recover with rest.
If you develop persistent muscle weakness, or muscle weakness with no apparent cause or normal explanation, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
Voluntary muscle contractions are usually generated when your brain sends a signal through your spinal cord and nerves to a muscle.
如果您的大脑，神经系统，肌肉或它们之间的联系受伤或受疾病影响，那么您的肌肉可能不会正常收缩。这可以产生肌肉弱点。
Many health conditions can cause muscle weakness.
Examples include:
- neuromuscular disorders, such asmuscular dystrophies,multiple sclerosis (MS),amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- 自身免疫疾病, such asGraves’ disease,myasthenia gravis， 和Guillain-Barré综合征
- thyroid conditions, such ashypothyroidism和hyperthyroidism
- 电解质不平衡, such as低钾血症(potassium deficiency),hypomagnesemia(magnesium deficiency), andhypercalcemia（血液中的钙升高）
Other conditions that may cause muscle weakness include:
- stroke
- 椎间盘突出
- 慢性疲劳综合征（CFS）
- hypotonia，缺乏通常存在于出生时的肌肉色调
- 外周神经病变, 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酒精肌病
Muscle weakness can also be caused by complications from certain viruses and infections, including:
Botulism, a rare and serious illness caused byClostridium botulinumbacteria, can also lead to muscle weakness.
Prolonged use of certain drugs may also result in muscle weakness.
These drugs include:
- 他汀类药物和other lipid-lowering agents
- antiarrhythmic drugs, such as胺碘酮(Pacerone) or procainamide
- 皮质类固醇
- colchicine(Colcrys, Mitigare), which is used to treat痛风
If you experience muscle weakness for which there’s no normal explanation, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.
您可以使用我们的地区的初级保健医生预约预约Healthline FindCare tool.
You’ll be asked about your muscle weakness, including how long you’ve had it and which muscles have been affected. Your healthcare provider will also ask about other symptoms and your家庭病史.
Your healthcare provider may also check your:
- reflexes
- senses
- 肌肉
如果需要，他们可以订购一个或多个测试，例如：
- CT scans or MRIto examine the inner structures of your body
- 神经试验，以评估你的神经的工作程度如何
- electromyography (EMG)to test the nerve activity in your muscles
- 血液测试检查感染或其他条件的迹象
一旦他们确定了肌肉弱点的原因，您的医疗保健提供者将建议适当的待遇。您的治疗计划将取决于肌肉弱点的潜在原因，以及症状的严重程度。
以下是导致肌肉弱点的条件的一些治疗方案：
Physical therapy
Physical therapists can suggest exercises to improve your quality of life if you have conditions such as小姐或者
例如，物理治疗师可能表明渐进式电阻锻炼，以帮助MS的患者加强肌肉从缺乏使用中变得薄弱。
For someone with ALS, a physical therapist might recommend stretching and range of motion exercises to prevent muscle stiffness.
职业治疗
职业治疗师可以建议练习以加强您的上半身。他们还可以推荐辅助设备和工具来帮助日常活动。
职业治疗can be especially helpful during thestroke rehabilitation process. Therapists can recommend exercises to address weakness in one side of your body and help with motor skills.
Medication
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, such asibuprofen or acetaminophen，可以帮助管理与以下条件相关的疼痛：
- 外周神经病变
- CFS
- neuralgia
Thyroid hormone replacement is used to treathypothyroidism.标准的混乱关系atmentusually involves takinglevothyroxine(Levoxyl, Synthroid), which is a synthetic thyroid hormone.
Dietary changes
改变你的饮食可以帮助补救措施电解质不平衡。您的医疗保健提供商也可能表明补充剂，例如calcium,magnesium oxide或根据您的需要，氧化钾。
Surgery
Surgery may be used to treat certain conditions, such as a椎间盘突出要么hyperthyroidism.
In some cases, muscle weakness can be a sign of something very serious, such as a stroke.
如果您遇到以下任何症状，请立即致电911或您当地的紧急服务：
- sudden onset of muscle weakness
- sudden numbness or loss of feeling
- 突然难以移动你的四肢，走路，站立或坐直
- sudden difficulty smiling or forming facial expressions
- 突然混乱，困难，或者遇到了解事物
- chest muscle weakness resulting in difficulties breathing
- 意识丧失