Logan Steele
A bad muscle can occur in a number of ways, including muscle atrophy, muscle strain, and muscle spasms. Muscle atrophy is the loss of muscle mass, which can be caused by malnutrition, age, genetics, a lack of physical activity, or certain medical conditions. Muscle strain is an injury that happens when you overstretch or tear a muscle or tendon, and muscle spasms occur when your muscle involuntarily and forcibly contracts uncontrollably and can't relax.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle atrophy | Loss or thinning of muscle tissue |
| Decrease in muscle mass and strength | |
| Can be caused by malnutrition, age, genetics, lack of physical activity, certain medical conditions, nerve problems or diseases | |
| Can be reversed with exercise and a healthy diet | |
| Muscle spasms | Involuntary muscle movements |
| Can be caused by neurological conditions | |
| Can range from mild to severe | |
| Muscle strains | Tear in muscle fibres |
| Caused by pulling or using the muscle too much |
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What You'll Learn
Muscular dystrophy
Muscles work by contracting or relaxing to cause movement. This movement may be voluntary or involuntary. The brain, nerves and skeletal muscles work together to cause movement – this is collectively known as the neuromuscular system. Muscles are fuelled by glucose from carbohydrates in our diet, and to work properly, muscle tissue also needs particular minerals, electrolytes and other dietary substances such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
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Muscle atrophy
Neurogenic atrophy occurs due to nerve problems or diseases. Symptoms of this include numbness, weakness and tingling in your limbs.
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Malnutrition
Muscle atrophy can also be caused by nerve problems or diseases. This is called neurogenic atrophy and can cause numbness, weakness, and tingling in the limbs.
Muscle atrophy is characterised by a decrease in muscle mass and strength. One limb may be smaller than the other, and the muscles may look smaller than normal.
It is important to note that malnutrition can also lead to muscle strains or pulled muscles. This occurs when a muscle is pulled too hard or used too much, which weakens the muscle fibres.
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$17.17
Lack of physical activity
Physical inactivity is a primary causal mechanism of metabolic risk factors, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia, visceral obesity, prothrombsis, and pro-inflammatory events. It can also lead to low-grade inflammation and impaired metabolism.
Regular physical activity results in structural, metabolic, hormonal, neural, and molecular adaptations that increase the level of force or power that can be sustained by a muscle. For example, one type of adaptation involves hypertrophy of the muscle cells with an increase in strength, as seen in weight lifters and bodybuilders. Another type of adaptation involves an increase in the capacity of muscle for aerobic metabolism with an increase in endurance, as seen in competitive middle- and long-distance runners, long-distance cross-country skiers, bicyclists, and swimmers.
Additionally, physical activity can help keep blood glucose levels stable, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
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Genetic conditions
While genetics plays an important role in muscle building, it is not the only factor. Even with "bad" genetics, it is possible to build muscle effectively by optimising training, nutrition and recovery. For example, a disciplined training regime, a high-protein diet with a caloric surplus, and sufficient recovery can all contribute to muscle growth.
The ratio of bone mass to muscle-building potential also shows how much one depends on their genetic makeup. Larger and heavier bone mass generally indicates greater potential for building muscle, as it provides a larger surface area to accumulate muscle mass.
However, certain genetic conditions can increase the risk of muscle damage and injury. For instance, muscular dystrophy occurs when a gene involved in making proteins that protect muscle fibres is defective. Each form of muscular dystrophy is caused by a specific genetic mutation, and most of these mutations are inherited. Understanding the genetic associations with exercise-induced muscle damage can help identify individuals who are at high risk of developing specific injuries and tailor training and nutrition programmes to maximise recovery and reduce injury risk.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle atrophy is a loss of muscle mass that can occur due to malnutrition, age, genetics, a lack of physical activity or certain medical conditions.
A muscle strain is when you damage a muscle or the tendons attached to it. This can happen when you overstretch or tear a muscle or tendon.
Muscle spasms (also called muscle cramps) occur when your muscle involuntarily and forcibly contracts uncontrollably and can’t relax.
If it’s an acute muscle strain, you’ll feel pain immediately, and it may even feel like tearing. You may also feel your muscle weaken, and you may feel that you can’t use it at all.
With muscle atrophy, your muscles look smaller than normal.
