Polymyositis is a disease that causes muscles to become irritated and inflamed. The muscles eventually start to break down and become weak. The condition can affect muscles all over the body. This can make even simple movements difficult.
Multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica are three types of autoimmune disorders that affect the muscles, joints, and nerves.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. There are many kinds of muscular dystrophy.
Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain and tenderness all over your body. Unlike arthritis, this isn't because you have problems with your joints, bones or muscles.
Types of neuromuscular disorders include: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Multiple sclerosis.
Get immediate medical care if you have muscle pain with:
Trouble breathing or dizziness. Extreme muscle weakness. A high fever and stiff neck.
Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your hands and feet are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body.
Sedimentation Rate (also called erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] or sed rate) measures swelling and inflammation of the muscles. Doctors use the sed rate to watch the progress of the muscle inflammation.
Myositis (my-o-SY-tis) is a rare type of autoimmune disease that inflames and weakens muscle fibers. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's own immune system attacks itself. In the case of myositis, the immune system attacks healthy muscle tissue, which results in inflammation, swelling, pain, and eventual weakness.
Body aches occur when your muscles are inflamed, either through physical stress, or through an immune response. If you stand, walk, or exercise for long periods of time, you may feel achy because those activities can cause muscle stress and strain.
Doctors diagnose fibromyalgia based on all the patient's relevant symptoms (what you feel), no longer just on the number of tender places during an examination. There is no test to detect this disease, but you may need lab tests or X-rays to rule out other health problems.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies destroy the communication between nerves and muscle, resulting in weakness of the skeletal muscles.
Botulism is a serious illness caused by a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. The bacteria produce a poison (toxin) that can attack your body's nervous system. This attack can cause weakness and paralysis that affects the muscles that help you move and breathe. If left untreated, botulism can be fatal.
When to see a doctor. Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience muscle pain that doesn't go away. Nearly everyone experiences muscle pain from time to time. But if your muscle pain persists despite rest, massage and similar self-care measures, make an appointment with your doctor.
Without movement or exercise, the muscles are weakened and deprived of a steady supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. This, in turn, can lead to muscle pain. Postural Adjusting Stress can also cause you to shift, sit, or stand in ways that aren't necessarily healthy or comfortable for your body.
Fibromyalgia causes pain, tenderness, fatigue, sleep problems, and other health conditions. Fibromyalgia causes bodywide pain and extreme tiredness. It can be confused with arthritis because it may cause pain in joints, muscles and soft tissues.
Tests to check for some of these conditions include urine and blood tests, although you may also have X-rays and other scans. If you're found to have another condition, you could still have fibromyalgia as well.
Who gets fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia affects as many as 4 million Americans 18 and older. The average age range at which fibromyalgia is diagnosed is 35 to 45 years old, but most people have had symptoms, including chronic pain, that started much earlier in life. Fibromyalgia is more common in women than in men.
While MS and fibro may have some symptoms in common, they are ultimately distinct conditions with very different causes and treatments. Fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis are both chronic diseases with no cure. Fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis can both cause some of the same symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of muscle disease may include muscular weakness, rigidity, loss of muscular control, numbness, tingling, twitching, spasms, muscle pain and certain types of limb pain.
Electromyography. An electrode needle is inserted into the muscle to be tested. Electrical activity is measured as you relax and as you gently tighten the muscle. Changes in the pattern of electrical activity can confirm a muscle disease.