Muscle Power

Fatigued? Feeling weak? It could be muscle weakness getting the better of you.

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You’re well aware that you aren’t as strong as you once were. But lately, it seems as though it’s been getting harder to just do the basics, like getting out of a chair. You wonder if a medical problem may be making you weak.

Don’t ignore muscle weakness. Rapid or sudden muscle weakness can signal a stroke or other serious problem requiring immediate attention. More gradual loss of strength can contribute to many health problems, including increased risk of falls, decreased bone strength and weight gain.

Causes of Muscle Weakness

Diagnosing the cause of muscle weakness that develops over time can be challenging. There are many potential causes, and multiple causes may be at play too.

An important distinction is whether your feeling of weakness is actually the result of loss of muscle power caused by either central nervous system disease or by muscles or nerves that aren’t functioning properly. Alternatively, you may feel weak and limited due to factors such as fatigue, sleepiness, lightheadedness or chronic pain.

Sleep problems, depression, chronic heart, lung or kidney problems, or poor nutrition and being sick are among the many causes of generalized fatigue that can make you feel unenergetic and weak. Your muscle use may be limited by having chest pain or shortness of breath related to a heart condition or a sickness such as pneumonia or other lung disease. Arthritis in one or more joints or pain-causing conditions such as fibromyalgia can make you feel weak because it’s painful to move.

These problems aren’t ‘true’ muscle diseases in the sense that muscles still function normally, even though activity is limited. However, some may lead to weakness if they cause atrophy of muscles from disuse.