Why the body is weak. How to recover from severe stress and remove the consequences. Physical and psycho-emotional stress

Weakness Is a subjective feeling of a lack of energy in everyday situations. Complaints of weakness usually arise when actions, until now familiar and natural, suddenly begin to require special efforts.

Weakness is often accompanied by symptoms such as distraction, drowsiness, or muscle pain.

Fatigue at the end of a working day or after performing a large or difficult work cannot be considered weakness, since such fatigue is natural for the body. Normal fatigue goes away after rest, healthy sleep and a well-spent weekend are great. But if sleep does not bring vigor, and a person, having just woken up, already feels tired, then there is a reason to consult a doctor.

Reasons for weakness

Weakness can be caused by a number of reasons, including:

• ... Often, weakness is caused by a lack of vitamin B12, which is essential for the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the prevention of anemia, and is also important for cell growth. Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to development, which is considered the most common cause of general weakness. Another vitamin deficiency of which leads to the development of weakness is vitamin D. This vitamin is produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, in autumn and winter, when the daylight hours are short, and the sun is not often shown, a lack of vitamin D can be the cause of piling weakness;
• ... Weakness can occur with both increased thyroid function (hyperthyroidism) and decreased function (hypothyroidism). With hypothyroidism, as a rule, there is weakness in the arms and legs, which is described by patients as "everything falls out of hands", "legs give way." With hyperthyroidism, general weakness is observed against the background of other characteristic symptoms (nervous excitability, hand tremors, fever, heart palpitations, weight loss while maintaining appetite);
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• chronic fatigue syndrome, indicating extreme depletion of the supply of vitality;
• celiac disease (celiac disease) is the inability of the intestines to digest gluten. If at the same time a person consumes products made from flour - bread, pastries, pasta, pizza, etc. - manifestations of indigestion (flatulence, diarrhea) develop, against the background of which constant fatigue is observed;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• oncological diseases, In this case, weakness is usually accompanied by low-grade fever;
• lack of fluid in the body. Weakness often comes in summer in hot weather, when the body loses a lot of water, and it is impossible to restore the water balance in time;
• some medications (antihistamines, antidepressants, beta blockers).

Also, an attack of weakness can be in the case of:

• trauma (with large blood loss);
• brain injury (combined with neurological symptoms);
• menses;
• intoxication (including with an infectious disease, for example).

Weakness and dizziness

Dizziness often occurs against the background of general weakness. A combination of these symptoms can be observed in the case of:

• cerebral circulation disorders;
• a sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure;
• oncological diseases;
• stress;
• in women - during menstruation or.

Weakness and drowsiness

Patients often complain that they want to sleep and lack the strength for normal life. A combination of weakness and drowsiness is possible for the following reasons:

• lack of oxygen. The urban atmosphere is poor in oxygen. Constant stay in the city contributes to the development of weakness and drowsiness;
• decrease in atmospheric pressure and magnetic storms. People who are sensitive to weather changes are called weather dependent. If you are weather dependent, bad weather can be the reason for your weakness and drowsiness;
• avitaminosis;
• poor or unhealthy diet;
• hormonal disorders;
• alcohol abuse;
• chronic fatigue syndrome;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• other diseases (including infectious - in the early stages, when other symptoms have not yet appeared).

Weakness: what to do?

If the weakness is not accompanied by any disturbing symptoms, you can improve your well-being by observing the following guidelines:

• get yourself a normal amount of sleep (6-8 hours a day);
• follow a daily routine (go to bed and get up at the same time);
• try not to be nervous, relieve yourself of stress;
• exercise, provide yourself with optimal physical activity;
• be outdoors more;
• optimize nutrition. It should be regular and balanced. Eliminate fatty foods. If you are overweight, try to get rid of it;
• make sure you drink enough water (at least 2 liters per day);
• quit smoking and limit your alcohol intake.

When should you see a doctor in case of weakness?

If the weakness does not go away within a few days, or, even more so, lasts for more than two weeks, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Every person periodically experiences fatigue and weakness in the body. The reasons for this condition can be different. It is imperative to identify them. This is because severe weakness can be associated with serious health problems.

Signs of weakness

It can be different. With the development of acute infectious diseases, she "attacks" suddenly. It is a sharp weakness that speaks of the onset of the disease. As the intoxication intensifies, such sensations increase. However, with proper treatment, the person's condition will gradually return to normal.

Weakness, which was caused by physical or nervous overload, occurs gradually. At first, a person loses interest in work, and then absent-mindedness and persistent fatigue come. After some more time, the patient develops apathy, loses interest in everything around him, including his personal life.

How else is this condition manifested? What symptoms are typical for it? Weakness caused by rigid diets or insufficient nutrition manifests itself in the same way as with emotional stress. Although in this case, a person also has such accompanying symptoms as dizziness, lethargy and pallor of the skin, brittle nails and hair, low blood pressure, and so on.

Weakness in the body: causes

A breakdown can occur under various circumstances. Often, this condition is accompanied by a whole complex of unfavorable factors that negatively affect a person's well-being.

So why is there weakness in the body? The reasons for this condition may be as follows:

• low physical activity;
• too busy schedule;
• constant lack of sleep;
• unhealthy diet and, as a result, a lack of vitamins in the body;
• unbalanced mode of work and rest;
• strict diets.

If you experience any symptoms, you should see a doctor.

In order for the severe weakness that has developed due to the listed factors to subside, they should be eliminated. In other words, you need to increase your physical activity, get enough sleep, eat right, get more rest, and more.

Why is there weakness in the arms?

About why there is a general weakness in the human body, we talked above. However, in some cases, this condition is observed only in certain parts of the body. For example, many people complain of constant weakness in their arms. According to experts, this symptom is very common in neurological practice.

Consider the most common causes of upper limb weakness:

• Stroke. With a violation of cerebral circulation, the symptoms appear quite early. Such a pathological condition can lead not only to weakness in the hands, but also to limit the movement of the limbs, as well as cause dizziness, headaches, and speech.
• Polyneuropathy. This disease is often accompanied by weakness. It grows gradually. Subsequently, burning pains in the limbs and sensory disturbances join it.
• Radiculopathy. This disease is characterized by pain in the neck, radiating to the arm. Most often, patients have a selective decrease in strength, as well as a violation of the sensitivity of several fingers and a zone on the forearm.
• Myasthenia gravis. Weakness in the arms increases in the evening, and also after re-squeezing the hand or bending the arm.

• Parkinson's disease. This disease is characterized by awkwardness, as well as slowness of hand movements. Also, this disease is accompanied by tremors in the upper limbs.
• In this condition, weakness in the upper limbs can be two- or one-sided, unstable and migratory. There are also many other accompanying symptoms.

Other reasons

Why else can there be weakness in the body? The reasons for the loss of strength and discomfort in the hands should be identified by the doctor. Very often, such symptoms arise due to psychoemotional problems, as well as Guillain-Barré syndrome, cerebral palsy, and syringomyelia.

It should also be noted that non-neurological diseases may also be the cause of weakness in the arms. For example, in some people it is observed with rheumatic diseases, vascular lesions of the arteries of the hands, etc.

Muscle problems

Muscle weakness is a common problem. It can accompany completely different diseases. Most often, such a complaint is voiced by a therapist or neurologist.

When talking about muscle weakness, patients mean difficulty in movement, fatigue, decreased overall vitality and sensitivity. In adults, this condition is most often observed in the lower extremities.

Experts say that heart failure manifests itself not only in severe shortness of breath, but also in the inability to perform even ordinary physical work. Most patients misinterpret this condition as muscle weakness.

What other diseases can cause muscle weakness?

Such reasons may be:

• Deforming osteoarthritis. This pathology significantly reduces the range of motion of the joints. This helps to reduce the stress tolerated, resulting in muscle weakness.
• Metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes mellitus). This disease is accompanied by damage to peripheral neurons. In this case, a person may experience fatigue, apathy and weakness in the lower extremities.

As a rule, all of the above reasons for muscle weakness appear after a person reaches the age of 40.

If such a symptom occurs in a baby, then this indicates a pathology of the nervous system. Therefore, in the first minutes of life, the doctor is obliged to assess not only the general condition of the newborn, but also the tone of his muscles.

The decrease is associated with birth trauma and other reasons.

Thus, muscle weakness can develop for a variety of reasons. This condition occurs in diseases of the nervous tissue (peripheral or central nervous system), with endocrine disorders, thyrotoxicosis, hyperparathyroidism) and other diseases (for example, with dermatomyositis or polymyositis, muscular dystrophy, mitochondrial myopathy, hysteria, botulism, various poisonings, anemia).

When weakness occurs in the body or in certain parts of it, it is necessary to understand why it occurs. If this phenomenon is associated with diet or lifestyle in general, then it is required to introduce changes into it. You should move more, take vitamin complexes, rest more, and so on.

Treating weakness

In the event that this condition is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. First, you should consult with a therapist, who, after examination, should refer you to a more narrow specialist (for example, a neurologist, cardiologist, traumatologist, etc.).

For treatment, the doctor selects an individual therapy regimen. In some cases, patients are prescribed thrombolytics and neuroprotectors, as well as various vitamin complexes. In addition, symptomatic therapy is carried out, massage, physiotherapy, physiotherapy, etc. are prescribed.

A timely visit to a doctor with weakness in the body will allow you not only to get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon, but also to prevent its growth and the development of more serious pathologies.

Keeping fit can be difficult, especially if you start from scratch. The decision to go in for sports requires a lot of willpower and a lot of desire. When doing physical exercise, the entire load falls on the muscles and heart. Due to depletion and waste of energy after training, a person feels severe weakness, muscle aches and drowsiness. These symptoms do not always indicate pathology.

Sometimes very intense exercise quickly depletes the body. To avoid such conditions, you should adhere to some rules and consult an experienced doctor.

How weakness manifests itself after exercise

The human body can experience exhausting stress without losing composure and consciousness. This is due to the huge reserve capacity of some organs: heart, liver, brain. It is these structures that are responsible for the activity of our body, and at a critical moment they can dramatically increase strength.

Physical weakness after exercise manifests itself in this way:

• general malaise;
• exhaustion;
• fatigue;
• drowsiness;
• muscle aches;
• moderate pain in the body, especially when turning the torso, bending the knees;
• convulsions appear if exhaustion has reached a maximum;
• burning and heaviness in the joints of the legs and arms;
• back pain;
• trembling in the fingers and limbs;
• the appearance of "soreness" the next day after training;
• dizziness, and sometimes lightheadedness;
• prostration.

Doctor's advice. You need to eat food at least 2 hours before starting workouts

During training, the body depletes itself, using oxygen and trace elements many times more than usual. In the first minutes of sports, glucose is consumed, then fat is broken down. These processes are constant, replacing one another, maintaining the stable operation of all organs.

The increase in muscle mass occurs gradually. After 3-4 workouts, a person adapts and no longer complains of noticeable discomfort in the body.

Causes of discomfort after sports

It is very important to evaluate your capabilities without exaggeration when playing sports. If you sharply exceed the load, you can get serious injury and completely forget about training. Possible causes of weakness after exercise include:

1. High bar. The desire to quickly achieve high results can lead a person to the wrong path. With excessive loads in the first lessons, injuries, ruptures of ligaments and muscles very often occur.
2. Lack of a coach. It is very difficult to choose a training algorithm suitable for all parameters on your own. Often, every visit to the sports complex is not systemic, exercises are performed irregularly, in inconsistency and unnecessarily.
3. Dehydration of the body. During exercise, fluid and trace elements are quickly lost with sweat. This depletes the body, there is dry mouth and general weakness, breathing becomes more frequent.
4. Poor nutrition, namely the lack of protein and carbohydrates, affects muscle activity. In this case, the person cannot complete the assigned tasks, gets tired quickly and stops training due to lack of energy.
5. Drinking alcohol and smoking. If you train every day, work hard at it, give yourself completely, but one cigarette a day can take away the hope of getting the desired result. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, affects the heart, gastric mucosa. Alcohol completely weakens the nervous system and damages the liver.
6. The accumulation of lactic acid on the next day after exercise contributes to the appearance of "soreness". This is a condition when the muscles ache, any movements bring severe pain. Lactic acid is deposited in the muscles after intense work. Acidosis develops, myocytes are in an acidic environment and cannot contract normally.
7. With diabetes mellitus, it is better to refrain from serious stress. Jumps in blood glucose levels are detrimental to the liver, eyes, and nerve endings. After training, sugar drops sharply and a person can lose consciousness.
8. Exercise injury. Often newbies want to do more than they can. It is at this moment that an unforeseen circumstance happens - a rupture of ligaments, a tear of a muscle and a dislocation of a joint.

An experienced trainer should draw up an exercise plan and the number of approaches.

Training Precautions

Before going to workout, you need to think carefully about everything that you have to do. The final result and the effectiveness of the training depend on this. To avoid injury, fatigue and discomfort after playing sports, you need to heed the following tips:

1. You cannot train late at night, because all the energy has already been spent during the day.
2. If possible, you need to go in for sports in the morning. It was during this period that the greatest human productivity was noticed.
3. Before the main exercises, you need to warm up: stretching the muscles of the lower leg, feet, arms and trunk, jumping in place. All this takes 5-7 minutes.
4. In the classroom, you need to take 5-minute breaks several times.
5. During stops, you need to replenish your fluid supply - drink drinks enriched with microelements.
6. It is forbidden to drink sweet carbonated water before class.
7. Do not overeat before training.
8. If you are worried about "soreness" after the last workout, you can halve the load or load other muscle groups.

Important! You need to forget about bad habits forever. It will save health and vitality.

Each of these points is confirmed by practice, and neglect of the rules in training will immediately lead to the appearance of injuries and weakness.

How to treat signs of weakness after exercise

To avoid weakness and malaise during and after exercise, you can use the following remedies described in the table.

	Means	Action	Application
Before training		Increases muscle mass. Recovers after strength training. Helps Synthesize Glycogen in the Liver	5 grams 1 hour before exercise
	Beta Alanine	Reduces muscle fatigue. Increases strength. Adds a charge of energy. Increases endurance	2-3 grams of the drug is taken orally 1 hour before the start of the exercise
	Branched chain amino acids	They quickly enter the cells. Accelerate metabolic processes. Recover muscles quickly	3 grams by mouth 1 hour before training
During breaks	Getoreid	Restores fluid, sodium and potassium loss through sweat	You can drink up to 1-1.5 liters during your workout
After workout	Glutamine	Nourishes muscle tissue with energy. Restores damage quickly. Helps Burn Extra Calories	5 grams by mouth 30 minutes before meals

Doctor's advice. Protein supplements should only be used with the advice of a trainer and nutritionist

At home, you can also make protein supplements from natural products, which does not affect the quality (described in the table).

Components	Preparation	Application
low-fat cottage cheese (200 g); peanuts (60 g); honey (3 tablespoons); 2 bananas; milk (200 ml)	Mix in a blender for 1 minute	Drink 250-300 ml three times a day 30 minutes before meals
raspberry jam (2 tablespoons); grapes (150 g); oatmeal (60 g); egg white (4 pcs.); milk (250 ml)
sour cream 10% (200 ml); milk (200 ml); 2 bananas; quail eggs (6 pcs.); rosehip syrup (2 tbsp. l.)
yogurt (150 ml); cocoa powder (2 tbsp. l.); walnut (5 pieces); raspberries, lingonberries (100 g)

High-calorie nutrition effectively fights weakness after exercise, quickly restores the balance of power, and nourishes the body with energy.

There are many causes of muscle weakness and there are a wide range of conditions that can cause muscle weakness. These can be both well-known diseases and rather rare conditions. Muscle weakness can be reversible and persistent. However, in most cases, muscle weakness can be treated with exercise, physical therapy, and acupuncture.

Muscle weakness is a fairly common complaint, but the word weakness has a wide range of meanings, including fatigue, decreased muscle strength, and inability of muscles to work at all. There is an even wider range of possible causes.

The term muscle weakness can be used to describe several different conditions.

Primary or true muscle weakness

This muscle weakness manifests itself as an inability to perform the movement that a person wants to perform with the muscles the first time. There is an objective decrease in muscle strength and strength does not increase regardless of the effort. That is, the muscle is not working properly - this is abnormal.

When this type of muscle weakness occurs, the muscles appear to be collapsed, smaller in volume. This can happen, for example, after a stroke. The same visual picture occurs with muscular dystrophy. Both conditions lead to weakening of the muscles that cannot carry out the usual load, and this is a real change in muscle strength.

Muscle fatigue

Fatigue is sometimes called asthenia. It is a feeling of fatigue or exhaustion that a person feels when muscles are used. The muscles don't really get weaker, they can still do their job, but getting the muscle work takes a lot of effort. This type of muscle weakness is commonly seen in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders, depression, and chronic heart, lung, and kidney disease. This may be due to a decrease in the rate at which the muscles can receive the required amount of energy.

Muscle fatigue

In some cases, muscle fatigue is mainly associated with increased fatigue - the muscle starts to work, but gets tired quickly and takes longer to recover. Fatigue is often associated with muscle fatigue, but it is most noticeable in rare conditions such as myasthenia gravis and myotonic dystrophy.

The difference between these three types of muscle weakness is often not obvious and the patient may have more than one type of weakness at once. Also, one kind of weakness can alternate with another kind of weakness. But with a careful approach to the diagnosis, the doctor manages to determine the main type of muscle weakness, since certain diseases are characterized by one or another type of muscle weakness.

The main causes of muscle weakness

Lack of adequate physical activity- an inactive (sedentary) lifestyle.

Lack of muscle loading is one of the most common causes of muscle weakness. If muscles are not used, then muscle fibers in the muscles are partially replaced by fat. And over time, the muscles weaken: the muscles become less dense and more flabby. And although muscle fibers do not lose their strength, their number decreases, and they are not as efficiently contracted. And the person feels that they have become smaller in volume. When you try to perform certain movements, fatigue sets in faster. The condition is reversible with reasonable regular exercise. But as we age, this condition becomes more pronounced.

The maximum muscle strength and a short recovery period after exertion are observed at the age of 20-30. That is why most of the great athletes achieve great results at this age. However, strengthening your muscles with regular exercise can be done at any age. Many successful long distance runners were in their 40s. Muscle tolerance for prolonged activities such as a marathon remains high for longer than for a powerful, short burst of activity such as a sprint.

It is always good when a person has sufficient physical activity at any age. However, recovery from muscle and tendon injuries is slower with age. At whatever age a person decides to improve his physical condition, a reasonable training regimen is important. And it is better to coordinate training with a specialist (instructor or exercise therapy doctor).

Aging

As we age, muscles lose strength and mass, and they become weaker. While most people accept this as a natural consequence of age - especially if the age is respectable, it is nevertheless uncomfortable to be unable to do what was possible at a younger age. However, exercise is beneficial in old age anyway, and safe exercise can increase muscle strength. But the recovery time after injury is much longer in old age, since involutionary changes in metabolism occur and bone fragility increases.

Infections

Infection and illness are among the most common causes of temporary muscle fatigue. This is due to inflammation in the muscles. And sometimes, even if the infectious disease has regressed, the recovery of muscle strength can take a long time. This can sometimes cause chronic fatigue syndrome. Any illness with fever and muscle inflammation can trigger chronic fatigue syndrome. However, some diseases are more likely to cause this syndrome. These include influenza, Epstein-Barr virus, HIV, Lyme disease and hepatitis C. Other less common causes are tuberculosis, malaria, syphilis, polio, and Dengue fever.

Pregnancy

During and immediately after pregnancy, high blood steroid levels, combined with iron deficiency, can cause muscle fatigue. This is a completely normal muscle reaction to pregnancy, however, certain gymnastics can and should be carried out, but significant physical activity should be excluded. In addition, in pregnant women, due to a violation of biomechanics, lower back pain often occurs.

Chronic diseases

Many chronic diseases cause muscle weakness. In some cases, this is due to a reduction in the supply of blood and nutrients to the muscles.

Peripheral vascular disease is caused by narrowing of the arteries, usually from cholesterol deposits and triggered by poor diet and smoking. The supply of blood to the muscles is reduced, and this becomes especially noticeable during exercise, when the blood flow cannot cope with the needs of the muscles. Pain is often more common in peripheral vascular disease than muscle weakness.

Diabetes - this condition can lead to muscle weakness and loss of fitness. High blood sugar puts muscles at a disadvantage and dysfunctions. In addition, as diabetes progresses, there is a disturbance in the structure of the peripheral nerves (polyneuropathy), which in turn impairs the normal innervation of the muscles and leads to muscle weakness. In addition to nerves, arterial damage occurs in diabetes mellitus, which also leads to poor blood supply to the muscles and weakness. Heart disease, especially heart failure, can lead to a disruption in the blood supply to the muscles due to a decrease in myocardial contractility and actively working muscles do not receive enough blood (oxygen and nutrients) at the peak of the load and this can lead to rapid muscle fatigue.

Chronic lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lead to a decrease in the body's ability to consume oxygen. Muscles require a rapid supply of oxygen from the blood, especially during exercise. Decreased oxygen consumption leads to muscle fatigue. Over time, chronic lung disease can lead to muscle wasting, although this is mostly the case in advanced cases when blood oxygen levels begin to drop.

Chronic kidney disease can lead to an imbalance of minerals and salts in the body, and it is also possible to influence the level of calcium and vitamin D. Kidney diseases also cause the accumulation of toxic substances (toxins) in the blood, since impaired renal excretory function reduces their excretion from the body. These changes can lead to both true muscle weakness and muscle fatigue.

Anemia - it is a lack of red blood cells. There are many causes of anemia, including poor diet, blood loss, pregnancy, genetic diseases, infections, and cancer. This reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the muscles in order for the muscles to contract fully. Anemia often develops rather slowly, so that by the time of diagnosis, muscle weakness and shortness of breath are already noted.

Diseases of the central nervous system

Anxiety: General fatigue can be triggered by anxiety. This is due to the increased activity of the adrenaline system in the body.

Depression: General fatigue can also be caused by depression.

Anxiety and depression are conditions that tend to cause feelings of tiredness and "fatigue" rather than true weakness.

Chronic pain - the overall effect on energy levels can lead to muscle weakness. As with anxiety, chronic pain stimulates the body to produce chemicals (hormones) that respond to pain and injury. These chemicals make you feel tired or fatigued. With chronic pain, muscle weakness can also occur as the muscles cannot be used due to pain and discomfort.

Muscle damage from trauma

There are many factors that lead to direct muscle damage. The most obvious are injuries or injuries such as sports injuries, sprains and dislocations. Exercising without "warming up" and stretching the muscles is a common cause of muscle damage. Any muscle injury results in bleeding from the damaged muscle fibers within the muscle, followed by swelling and inflammation. This makes the muscles less strong and also painful when performing movements. The main symptom is local pain, but weakness may appear in the future.

Medication

Many medications can cause muscle weakness and muscle damage as a result of a side effect or an allergic reaction. It usually starts out as tiredness. But damage can progress if the medication continues. Most often, these effects are caused by taking such drugs: statins, some antibiotics (including ciprofloxacin and penicillin), and anti-inflammatory pain relievers (for example, naproxen and diclofenac).

Long-term use of oral steroids also causes muscle weakness and atrophy. This is an expected side effect of steroids with long-term use and therefore doctors try to shorten the duration of steroid use. Less commonly used medications that can cause muscle weakness and muscle damage include:

• Certain heart medications (such as amiodarone).
• Chemotherapy drugs.
• HIV drugs.
• Interferons.
• Medicines used to treat overactive thyroid gland.

Other substances.

Long-term alcohol consumption can lead to muscle weakness in the shoulder and thigh muscles.

Smoking can weaken muscles indirectly. Smoking causes narrowing of the arteries, which leads to peripheral vascular disease.

Cocaine abuse causes marked muscle weakness, just like other drugs.

Sleep disturbances

Problems that disrupt or reduce the duration of sleep lead to muscle fatigue, muscle fatigue. These disorders can include: insomnia, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, restless legs syndrome, shift work, and young children who stay awake at night.

Other causes of muscle weakness

Chronic fatigue syndrome

This condition is sometimes associated with certain viral infections, such as the Epstein-Barr virus and influenza, but the genesis of this condition has not been fully understood. The muscles are not sore, but they get tired very quickly. Patients often feel the need for greater effort to perform muscle activities that they previously performed easily.

In chronic fatigue syndrome, muscles are not collapsed and may have normal strength when tested. This is reassuring as it means that the chances of recovery and full recovery are very high. CFS also causes psychological fatigue when performing intellectual activities, for example, prolonged reading and communication also becomes exhausting. Patients often show signs of depression and sleep disturbances.

Fibromyalgia

This disease resembles chronic fatigue syndrome in symptoms. However, with fibromyalgia, the muscles become painful to palpation and fatigue very quickly. Fibromyalgia muscles do not collapse and remain strong during formal muscle testing. Patients tend to complain more of pain than fatigue or weakness.

Thyroid dysfunction(hypothyroidism)

In this condition, the lack of thyroid hormones leads to general fatigue. And if hypothyroidism is not treated, then muscle degeneration and malnutrition may develop over time. Such changes can be serious and in some cases irreversible. Hypothyroidism is a common disease, but muscle problems can usually be avoided with timely treatment.

Lack of fluid in the body (dehydration) and electrolyte imbalance.

Problems with the normal balance of salts in the body, including as a result of dehydration, can cause muscle fatigue. Muscle problems can only be very serious in extreme cases, such as dehydration during a marathon. Muscles work worse when there is an imbalance of electrolytes in the blood.

Diseases accompanied by muscle inflammation

Inflammatory muscle diseases tend to develop in the elderly and include both polymyalgia, as well as polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Some of these conditions are well corrected by the use of steroids (which must be taken for many months before a therapeutic effect appears). Unfortunately, steroids themselves can, when taken for a long time, also cause muscle loss and weakness.

Systemic inflammatory diseases such as SLE and rheumatoid arthritis often cause muscle weakness. In a small percentage of cases of rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness and fatigue may be the only symptoms of the disease for a significant time.

Oncological diseases

Cancer and other cancers can cause direct muscle damage, but having cancer anywhere in the body can also cause general muscle fatigue. In the advanced stages of cancer, weight loss also leads to true muscle weakness. Muscle weakness is usually not the first sign of cancer and occurs more often in the later stages of cancer.

Neurological conditions leading to muscle damage.

Diseases affecting the nerves usually lead to true muscle weakness. This is because if the nerve of the muscle fiber stops working properly, the muscle fiber cannot contract and as a result of the lack of movement, the muscle atrophies. Neurological diseases: Muscle weakness can be caused by cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke and cerebral hemorrhage or spinal cord injury. Muscles that become partially or completely paralyzed lose their normal strength and eventually atrophy. In some cases, muscle changes are significant and recovery is very slow or function cannot be restored.

Spinal Disorders: When nerves are damaged (compressed at the exit of the spine by a hernia, protrusion or osteophyte), muscle weakness can appear. When the nerve is compressed, there is a violation of conduction and motor disturbances in the innervation zone of the root, and muscle weakness develops only in the muscles innervated by certain nerves that have undergone compression

Other nervous diseases:

Multiple sclerosis - caused by damage to nerves in the brain and spinal cord and can lead to sudden paralysis. With multiple sclerosis, partial restoration of functions is possible with adequate treatment.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a post-viral nerve injury resulting in paralysis and muscle weakness or loss of muscle function from fingers to toes. This condition can last for many months, although, as a rule, complete recovery of functions is observed.

Parkinson's disease: This is a progressive disease of the central nervous system, both in the motor sphere and in the intellectual and emotional sphere. It mainly affects people over the age of 60 and in addition to muscle weakness, Parkinson's patients experience tremors and muscle stiffness. They often have difficulty starting and stopping movement and are often depressed.

Rare causes of muscle weakness

Genetic diseases affecting muscles

Muscular dystrophies- hereditary diseases in which muscles suffer are quite rare. The most famous such disease is Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This condition occurs in children and leads to a gradual loss of muscle strength.

Several rare muscular dystrophies can debut in adulthood, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome and Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy syndrome. They also cause a gradual loss of muscle strength, and often these conditions can lead to disability and wheelchair confinement.

Sarcoidosis - It is a rare condition in which clumps of cells (granulomas) form in the skin, lungs, and soft tissues, including muscles. The condition can heal on its own after a few years.

Amyloidosis - also a rare condition in which there is an accumulation (deposits) of abnormal protein (amyloid) throughout the body, including in the muscles and kidneys.

Other rare causes: Direct muscle damage can occur in rare inherited metabolic diseases. Examples include: glycogen storage diseases and, even less commonly, mitochondrial diseases, which occur when the energy systems within muscle cells are not working properly.

Myotonic dystrophy - This is a rare genetic muscle disorder in which muscles tire quickly. Myotonic dystrophy is passed from generation to generation, and, as a rule, with each next generation, the manifestations of the disease become more pronounced.

Motor neuron disease is a progressive nerve disorder that affects all parts of the body. Most forms of motor neuron disease begin in the distal extremities, gradually affecting all the muscles of the body. The disease progresses over months or years and patients rapidly develop severe muscle weakness and muscle atrophy.

Motor neuron disease most commonly affects men over 50, but there were many notable exceptions to this rule, including the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. There are many different forms of motor neuron disease, but no successful treatment has yet been developed.

Myasthenia gravis: - This is a rare muscle disorder in which the muscles tire quickly and take a long time to regain contractile function. Muscle dysfunction can be so severe that patients cannot even hold their eyelids and speech becomes slurred.

Poisons - Poisonous substances also often cause muscle weakness and paralysis due to the effect on the nerves. Examples are phosphates and botulinum toxin. When exposed to phosphates, weakness and paralysis can be persistent.

Addison's disease

Addison's disease is a rare condition that causes the adrenal glands to be hypoactive, resulting in a lack of steroids in the blood and an imbalance in blood electrolytes. The disease usually develops gradually. Patients may notice skin discoloration (sunburn) due to skin pigmentation. There may be weight loss. Muscle fatigue can be mild and is often an early symptom. The disease is often difficult to diagnose and requires special examinations to diagnose the disease. Other rare hormonal causes of muscle weakness include acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormone), pituitary hypoactivity (hypopituitarism), and severe vitamin D deficiency.

Muscle weakness diagnosis and treatment

If you have muscle weakness, you should consult a doctor, who will be primarily interested in the answers to the following questions:

• How did muscle weakness appear and when?
• Is there a dynamics of muscle weakness, both an increase and a decrease?
• Is there a change in overall health, weight loss or have you been traveling abroad recently?
• What medications is the patient taking and has anyone in the patient's family had muscle problems?

The doctor will also need to examine the patient to determine which muscles are susceptible to weakness and whether the patient has true or suspected muscle weakness. The doctor will check to see if there are signs that the muscles feel softer to the touch (which could be a sign of inflammation) or if the muscles are tired too quickly.

The physician should then check the nerve conduction in order to determine if there is an abnormality in the conduction of the nerves to the muscles. In addition, the doctor may need to check the central nervous system, including balance and coordination, and possibly order laboratory tests to determine changes in hormone, electrolyte and other levels.

If this does not allow determining the cause of muscle weakness, then other diagnostic methods may be prescribed:

• Neurophysiological studies (ENMG, EMG).
• Muscle biopsy to determine the presence of morphological changes in the muscles
• Tissue scanning using CT (MSCT) or MRI of parts of the body that may affect muscle strength and function.

The combination of medical history data, symptoms, physical examination data and the results of laboratory and instrumental research methods allows in most cases to find out the true cause of muscle weakness and determine the necessary treatment tactics. Depending on the genesis of muscle weakness (infectious, traumatic, neurological, exchange medication, etc.), the treatment should be pathogenetic. Treatment can be both conservative and operative.

Find out what symptoms occur before you get sick during exercise and how to treat these symptoms early.

Why does my head hurt after physical exertion?

Most often, headaches after physical exertion are the result of overstrain. Sports activities can be beneficial only with the correct dosage of loads. In addition, it should be remembered that in some cases, playing sports may be contraindicated, and you should undergo a medical examination before starting training. More often than not, headaches caused by excessive physical exertion go away after rest.

With the active work of the muscles, metabolic processes are accelerated, the body needs more glucose and oxygen. If a person has certain diseases, then oxygen starvation is possible, leading to the appearance of headaches. Here are the main reasons for headaches:

1. Problems with the work of the heart muscle or blood vessels.
2. Diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system.
3. Disturbances in the work of the hematopoietic system, for example, anemia.
4. Obesity.
5. High loads that do not correspond to the level of the athlete's training.
6. Ailments of an infectious and inflammatory nature.
7. Osteochondrosis.
8. Diseases of ENT organs.
9. Traumatic brain injury.
10. Inflammation of the brain, as well as its membranes.

If, after physical exertion, headaches often occur, then perhaps due to the presence of chronic ailments, the body does not tolerate oxygen starvation. Quite often, problems with well-being after training occur in novice athletes. It must be remembered that the loads should be increased gradually. If you ignore this wish, then more serious problems are possible. And now we will tell you in more detail why it becomes bad during physical activity, in particular, headaches occur.

The cardiovascular system

The state of hypoxia under the influence of physical exertion can occur due to the dissatisfaction of the body's needs for oxygen. Let us recall that erythrocytes are the carriers of oxygen in the tissue. When the heart muscle is unable to transport enough of this substance, pain may occur in different parts of the body.

Blood vessels are also important in this matter, because they regulate the flow of the oxidizer into the tissues of the whole body. If the vessels are in poor condition, then this negatively affects cellular metabolism. The body's resistance to physical activity may decrease as a result of the presence of certain ailments, for example, hypertension or heart failure. Due to problems with blood vessels, blood flow is disturbed, which can also cause headaches.

Respiratory system

Chronic lung ailments or acute pneumonia can cause blood vessel spasms. Pneumosclerosis is the process of replacing lung tissue with connective tissue. This leads to a decrease in the contractility of the lungs, a decrease in oxygen absorption, as well as lung saturation.

Blood saturation is the saturation of hemoglobin with an oxidizing agent. A decrease in the ability to consume oxygen can be caused by asthma, acute obstructive bronchitis, and emphysema. The latter ailment increases the airiness of the lung tissue, which in turn reduces blood oxygenation. Another reason for headaches after physical exertion can be pneumonia. This is an ailment of an inflammatory nature, in which substances are synthesized in the body that cause constriction of blood vessels.

Endocrine system diseases and anemia

Anemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood. As a result, oxygen deficiency appears, and the brain is extremely sensitive to this phenomenon. Various diseases of the hormonal system can also cause headaches after exercise. This primarily concerns diabetes and hyperthyroidism.

If many people know about diabetes, then it is worth talking about hyperthyroidism in a little more detail. This ailment is characterized by an increase in the rate of thyroid hormones, which leads to a sharp increase in their concentration. This negatively affects the heart rate, contributes to an increase in blood pressure. Under the influence of physical exertion, metabolic processes are sharply accelerated and, due to an increase in blood pressure, headaches appear.

In diabetes, a large number of ketone bodies are synthesized in the body, the excessive concentration of which can cause acidosis. With this ailment, the condition of the capillaries sharply worsens. With excessive physical exertion, the risks of headaches in such a situation increase dramatically. Also speaking about why it becomes bad during exercise, it is necessary to remember about such hormones as cortisol and aldosterone. They are produced by the adrenal glands, which, if hyperactive, may cause pain in the head area.

Inflammatory diseases in acute and chronic forms

Any acute respiratory illness in itself can be the cause of headaches, as well as an increase in body temperature. High physical exertion can make these symptoms worse. If inflammation occurs in the sinuses of the head, then physical activity can cause fluid fluctuations in the cavities. As a result, the ternary and other nerves are irritated.

Osteochondrosis and craniocerebral injuries

With various head injuries, pain can occur, and physical activity contributes to their increase. Damage to the cervical vertebrae is also dangerous. Concluding the conversation about the causes of headaches after physical exertion, I would like to note that they cannot appear out of nothing. When this condition occurs frequently, it is worth undergoing a medical examination.

Symptoms during exercise that cannot be ignored

Almost every athlete is very sensitive to the pain in the joints or muscles. However, at the same time, there is a high risk of missing more serious alarm signals sent by our body. Now we will talk about the symptoms that in no case should be ignored. If you want to know why it gets bad during exercise, you must remember them.

Coughing during cardio

Most often, athletes in such a situation think that their throats are just dry and they need to drink water. However, everything can be much more complicated, and a cough that appears indicates the possible development of asthma. Many people are sure that this disease is associated with suffocation, but coughing is another sign of the development of the disease.

If you often have a cough during cardio sessions, then it is worth determining at what point in the class it happens. If by this time you are already exercising for 20 minutes or your heart rate has reached 160 beats per minute, then you should definitely visit a doctor. Try to conduct classes outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. For various ailments of the respiratory system, a warm room with high humidity, for example, a swimming pool, will be the best place for training.

Headaches during strength training

We have already discussed the main reasons for this phenomenon. Many athletes are sure that the whole point is in the usual overexertion and after rest, the problems will disappear. Overwork is less of a problem for you, however. If the cause of the headaches is associated with an increase in blood pressure, then the situation is much worse than you think.

Sudden pressure drops can cause a variety of serious ailments, such as blood vessel dissection. If an athlete has osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae, headaches can be caused by spasms of the neck muscles. To eliminate this problem, it is necessary to heal osteochondrosis.

If you feel headaches during training, then interrupt your activity and measure your heart rate with blood pressure. When the heart rate is 40 percent higher than the maximum allowable value, and the upper pressure is above 130, it is better to complete the training.

When performing power movements, you need to monitor your breathing and not hold it. Also, avoid using weights that make you overly stressed. If you are in a state of severe stress or nervous excitability, then a half-hour cardio session, conducted at an average pace, should be preferred to strength training. If problems with blood pressure occur frequently, and the desire to engage in bodybuilding is high, we recommend that you contact a specialist who will help in drawing up an individual training program.

Pain in the chest area

Most often, athletes in such a situation are confident in their heart muscle, and the pain is attributed to the high intensity of the training performed. However, things can get much more complicated. During clinical examinations of patients, so-called stress tests are often performed using exercise bikes or a treadmill. With their help, you can reveal hidden problems in the work of the heart muscle.

If you feel pain in the chest area while cycling or jogging, do not ignore the symptom. Perhaps it's not your heart, but, for example, intercostal neuralgia, but it's better to make sure of this. Note that the latter condition often occurs in novice athletes who use excessive loads.

The thing is that during exhalation-inhalation, the muscles contract very actively and this can lead to pinching of the nerve endings. If this symptom was noticed by you, then the lesson should be interrupted, but there is no need to panic. The first step is to determine the nature of the pain. If the pain appears with light pressure, movement, or you are able to feel its center, then perhaps the whole thing is in muscle spasm. However, you should not refuse a visit to a specialist.

Pain in the right side while running

This phenomenon is encountered by many athletes, and with prolonged cardio exercise, it is considered normal. Painful sensations arise in the area of ​​the liver. Due to the acceleration of blood flow, the organ increases in size and presses on the nerve endings. However, the problem may be related to the gallbladder. If after the rest the pain disappeared, then everything is fine. But when they do not disappear for a long time after completing the training, you should definitely see a doctor.