Muscular System Diseases

The muscular system has three main functions: enabling movement, generating heat, and providing postural stability for the body. When a disease strikes the muscular system, its effects can be devastating not only to the muscles themselves, but also to the body's entire ability to function. Muscular system diseases are often very painful and result in physical impairments, such as an inability to walk. Diseases that impact the muscular system include muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, ALS, and cerebral palsy.

The Muscular System

• In addition to muscles, the muscular system consists of nervous and connective tissue. The muscular system's most obvious task is to enable movement in the body, which it does by receiving electrical impulses from the brain. This movement can range from running to blinking your eyes. Muscles make up 40% of the body's total weight, and because of their mass they are the body's main source of heat generation. Muscles also help to regulate the body's temperature, keeping it constant. The muscular system is so complex in its connections that one affected muscle could cause repercussions for the entire system.

Atony vs. Atrophy

• Atony and atrophy are two general types of conditions that can develop from a muscular system disease. Atony refers to a state in which muscles no longer maintain their normal elasticity and become floppy. Atrophy refers to a state where muscle tissue wastes away, each muscle fiber shrinking in size. This can be caused by muscle disuse or when nerve impulses become ineffective.

Muscular Dystrophy

• Muscular dystrophy, or MD, is an inherited muscle disease that causes muscle fibers to become incredibly susceptible to harm. Muscles grow progressively weaker, and muscle fiber is replaced with fat and other tissue. Symptoms include lack of coordination, muscle weakness, and a progressive loss of mobility. There is no cure for the disease, but some therapies and medications can help slow its progression.

Myasthenia Gravis

• The name myasthenia gravis is derived from Greek and Latin and means "grave muscular weakness." The disease causes impulse receptors in the muscles to fail, making nerve impulses sent from the brain---which are instructing muscles to move ---ineffective. Symptoms include drooping eyelids, difficulty eating, blurred vision, muscle fatigue, and trouble breathing.

ALS

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons. As motor neurons become incapacitated, they are unable to reach muscles, which causes motor control function to deteriorate. Early symptoms include weakness in the arms and legs and difficulty swallowing, breathing, and speaking. In later stages of ALS, paralysis and atrophy of the limbs often occur .

Cerebral Palsy

• Cerebral palsy is a disorder that impairs a person's motor function, posture, and balance. It occurs when there is damage to the area of the brain responsible for muscle tone, or the amount of resistance in a muscle. A person with cerebral palsy will often have difficulty performing physical tasks, though symptoms vary with the severity of the particular case.