Are your muscles feeling weak?
The older we get the more muscle weakness causes frustration in our everyday lives. This is a natural result of aging. As we age, everyday activities, such as lifting a box, walking up a set of stairs, or simply just walking; can begin to cause discomfort and fatigue. Other health conditions such as medications, diseases, and viruses can also play a factor. In addition, weak muscles can just as easily result from a lack of exercise, and/or injury.
Entering into their 40’s and 50’s, people tend to notice they are naturally losing muscle mass. Muscle weakness becomes a normal expectation, and we have to work harder to maintain it. This tends to be noticed more in our 60’s and 70’s; medically known as the term Sarcopenia.
The good news is that we can always work to improve muscle mass and heal our injuries at any age! This is our goal when helping clients at ViscoGen™.
Causes of muscle weakness
A person can sometimes identify weak muscles as a reduced or failure to work; described as fatigued or tired. Based on the severity and the cause, weakness can affect all muscles in the body or only a few.The pain caused by the weakness can limit activities of daily living and diminish quality of life.
Sarcopenia is a type of muscle loss (muscle atrophy) that occurs with aging and/or immobility; with degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. It can also slow the recovery process.
Chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, ALS, can cause weak muscles to wear out quickly.
An onset of infections can result in weakness; causing the muscles to feel fatigued.
Chronic osteoarthritis patients can often experience muscle weakness in addition to joint stiffness.
Medications, depression and mental health can also be a result and muscle weakness causes.
Treatments for muscle weakness
Addressing the source of the weakness is the first step to treatment. Whether it is a result of lack of use, injury, or a greater issue related to illness or medication; support and guidance from our highly trained staff will help you to identify and prevent further injuries and pain.
Once we identify the muscle weakness cause, we can offer treatments that help you strengthen, prevent, and possibly reverse the issue.
Physical therapy is a great treatment for addressing muscle weakness. Through a movement and exercise a strength building regimen you can: Increase muscle strength, Improve joint mobility, Decrease pain and fatigue, and improve the length of muscles and balance. Adopting a physical training routine at any age will not only help build muscle strength and improve joint flexibility, it will improve your quality of life and mental health. This is where our ViscoGen™ physical therapists can help.
Low level laser therapy such as class IV laser therapy as a pain relief treatment can also delay the process of fatigue and skeletal muscle damage that results in muscle weakness.
Feel strong and healthy again with ViscoGen™
If muscle weakness is a concern, contact ViscoGen™ to schedule a free consultation at our Lake Nona office.
ViscoGen™ is composed of doctors who focus our treatments on non-surgical solutions for pain management, strengthening and healing of muscles and joints. Our patients receive pain relief through non-surgical treatments that include physical therapy, spinal decompression, injection-based protocols and class IV laser therapy.
