Why the lack of muscle activity. Motor activity in human life. Causes of weakness in the hands

Human motor activity is one of necessary conditions maintaining the normal functional state of a person, the natural biological need of a person. Normal life activity of almost all human systems and functions is possible only at a certain level of physical activity. Lack of muscle activity oxygen starvation or vitamin deficiency, adversely affects the developing body of the child.

Social and medical measures do not give the expected effect in maintaining people's health. In the improvement of society, medicine went mainly along the path "from illness to health", turning more and more into a purely medical, hospital. Social activities are aimed primarily at improving the environment and consumer goods, but not at educating a person.
How to maintain your health, achieve high performance, professional longevity?
The most justified way to increase the adaptive capabilities of the body, maintain health, prepare the individual for fruitful labor, socially important activities - classes physical education and sports. Today we hardly find educated person who would deny the great role of physical culture and sports in modern society. In sports clubs, regardless of age, millions of people go in for physical culture. Sports achievements for the vast majority of them have ceased to be an end in itself. Physical training "becomes a catalyst for vital activity, a tool for a breakthrough in the field of intellectual potential and longevity." The technical process, while freeing workers from the exhausting costs of manual labor, did not free them from the need for physical training and professional activity, but changed the objectives of this training.
Today, more and more types of work, instead of brute physical effort, require precisely calculated and precisely coordinated muscular efforts. Some professions place increased demands on the psychological capabilities of a person, sensory capabilities and some other physical qualities. Particularly high demands are placed on representatives of technical professions, whose activities require advanced level general physical fitness. One of the main conditions is a high level of overall performance, the harmonious development of professional, physical qualities. The concepts of physical qualities used in theory and methods of physical culture are very convenient for classifying the variety of training means and, in essence, are a criterion for a qualitative assessment of a person's motor function. There are four main motor qualities: strength, speed, endurance, flexibility. Each of these qualities of a person has its own structures and features, which generally characterize its physical features.

Some researchers argue that in our time, physical activity has decreased by 100 times - compared to previous centuries. If you look at it properly, you can come to the conclusion that there is little or no exaggeration in this statement. Imagine a peasant of the past centuries. He usually had a small allotment of land. There are almost no inventory and fertilizers. However, often, he had to feed a "brood" of a dozen children. Many also worked out corvée. All this huge load people carried on themselves day after day and all their lives. Human ancestors experienced no less stress. Constant pursuit of prey, flight from the enemy, etc. Of course, physical overstrain cannot add health, but lack of physical activity is harmful to the body. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle. It is difficult even to list all the positive phenomena that occur in the body during reasonably organized physical exercises. Indeed, movement is life. Let's pay attention only to the main points.
First of all, let's talk about the heart. In an ordinary person, the heart beats at a frequency of 60-70 beats per minute. At the same time, it consumes a certain amount of nutrients and wears out at a certain rate (like the body as a whole). In a completely untrained person, the heart makes a minute large quantity contractions, also consumes more nutrients and, of course, ages faster. It's different for well-trained people. The number of beats per minute can be 50, 40 or less. The economy of the heart muscle is significantly higher than usual. Consequently, such a heart wears out much more slowly. Physical exercise leads to a very interesting and beneficial effect in the body. During exercise, the metabolism accelerates significantly, but after it, it begins to slow down and finally decreases to a level below normal. In general, in a training person, the metabolism is slower than usual, the body works more economically, and life expectancy increases. Everyday loads on a trained body have noticeably less destructive impact which also prolongs life. The system of enzymes is improved, metabolism is normalized, a person sleeps better and recovers after sleep, which is very important. In a trained body, the number of energy-rich compounds, such as ATP, increases, and due to this, almost all possibilities and abilities increase. Including mental, physical, sexual.
When hypodynamia occurs (lack of movement), as well as with age, negative changes appear in the respiratory organs. The amplitude of respiratory movements decreases. The ability to deeply exhale is especially reduced. In this regard, the volume of residual air increases, which adversely affects gas exchange in the lungs. The vital capacity of the lungs also decreases. All this leads to oxygen starvation. In a trained organism, on the contrary, the amount of oxygen is higher (despite the fact that the need is reduced), and this is very important, since oxygen deficiency gives rise to a huge number of metabolic disorders. Significantly strengthens the immune system. In special studies conducted on humans, it has been shown that physical exercises increase the immunobiological properties of blood and skin, as well as resistance to certain infectious diseases. In addition to the above, there is an improvement in a number of indicators: the speed of movements can increase by 1.5 - 2 times, endurance - by several times, strength by 1.5 - 3 times, minute blood volume during work by 2 - 3 times, oxygen absorption in 1 minute during operation - 1.5 - 2 times, etc.
The great importance of physical exercises lies in the fact that they increase the body's resistance to the action of a number of different adverse factors. For example, such as low atmospheric pressure, overheating, some poisons, radiation, etc. In special experiments on animals, it was shown that rats, which were trained daily for 1-2 hours by swimming, running or hanging on a thin pole, survived after exposure to X-rays. in a higher percentage of cases. With repeated exposure to small doses, 15% of untrained rats died already after a total dose of 600 roentgens, and the same percentage of trained rats died after a dose of 2400 roentgens. Physical exercise increases the resistance of the body of mice after transplantation of cancerous tumors.
Stress has a powerful destructive effect on the body. Positive emotions, on the contrary, contribute to the normalization of many functions. Physical exercise helps to maintain vigor and cheerfulness. Physical activity has a strong anti-stress effect. From an unhealthy lifestyle or simply over time, the body can accumulate harmful substances, the so-called slag. The acidic environment that forms in the body during significant physical activity oxidizes toxins to harmless compounds, and then they are easily excreted.
As you can see, the beneficial effect of physical activity on the human body is truly limitless! This is understandable. After all, man was originally designed by nature for increased physical activity. Reduced activity leads to many disorders and premature fading of the body!
It would seem that well-organized physical exercises should bring us particularly impressive results. However, for some reason, we do not notice that athletes live much longer than ordinary people. Swedish scientists note that skiers in their country live 4 years (on average) longer than ordinary people. You can also often hear advice like: rest more often, strain less, sleep more, etc. Churchill, who lived for more than 90 years, to the question:
- How did you do it? - answered:
- I never stood if it was possible to sit and never sat if it was possible to lie - (although we do not know how long he would have lived if he had trained - maybe more than 100 years).

The health-improving and preventive effect of mass physical culture is inextricably linked with increased physical activity, strengthening of the functions of the musculoskeletal system, and activation of metabolism. The teachings of R. Mogendovich about motor-visceral reflexes showed the relationship between the activity of the motor apparatus, skeletal muscles and autonomic organs. As a result of insufficient motor activity in the human body, the neuroreflex connections laid down by nature and fixed in the process of hard physical labor are disrupted, which leads to a disorder in the regulation of the activity of the cardiovascular and other systems, metabolic disorders and the development of degenerative diseases (atherosclerosis, etc.) . For the normal functioning of the human body and the preservation of health, a certain “dose” of physical activity is necessary. In this regard, the question arises about the so-called habitual motor activity, i.e., activities performed in the process of everyday professional work and in everyday life. The most adequate expression of the amount of muscular work produced is the amount of energy consumption. The minimum amount of daily energy consumption required for the normal functioning of the body is 12-16 MJ (depending on age, sex and body weight), which corresponds to 2880-3840 kcal. Of these, at least 5.0-9.0 MJ (1200-1900 kcal) should be spent on muscle activity; the rest of the energy consumption ensures the maintenance of the body's vital functions at rest, the normal activity of the respiratory and circulatory systems, metabolic processes, etc. (energy of the main metabolism). In economically developed countries over the past 100 years specific gravity muscle work as a generator of energy used by a person decreased by almost 200 times, which led to a decrease in energy costs for muscle activity (work metabolism) to an average of 3.5 MJ. The deficit of energy consumption necessary for the normal functioning of the body, thus, amounted to about 2.0-3.0 MJ (500-750 kcal) per day. The intensity of labor in the conditions of modern production does not exceed 2-3 kcal / world, which is 3 times lower than the threshold value (7.5 kcal / min) that provides a health-improving and preventive effect. In this regard, to compensate for the lack of energy consumption in the process of labor activity modern man it is necessary to perform physical exercises with an energy expenditure of at least 350-500 kcal per day (or 2000-3000 kcal per week). According to Becker, at present, only 20% of the population of economically developed countries are engaged in sufficiently intense physical training that provides the necessary minimum energy consumption, while the remaining 80% of the daily energy consumption is significantly below the level required to maintain stable health.
A sharp restriction of motor activity in recent decades has led to a decrease in the functional capabilities of middle-aged people. So, for example, the value of the BMD in healthy men decreased from about 45.0 to 36.0 ml / kg. Thus, most of the modern population of economically developed countries has a real danger of developing hypokinesia. The syndrome, or hypokinetic disease, is a complex of functional and organic changes and painful symptoms that develop as a result of a mismatch between the activities of individual systems and the organism as a whole with the external environment. The pathogenesis of this condition is based on violations of energy and plastic metabolism (primarily in the muscular system). The mechanism of the protective action of intense physical exercise lies in the genetic code of the human body. Skeletal muscles, which on average make up 40% of body weight (in men), are genetically programmed by nature for hard physical work. “Motor activity is one of the main factors that determine the level of metabolic processes of the body and the state of its bone, muscle and cardiovascular systems,” wrote Academician VV Parin (1969). Human muscles are a powerful generator of energy. They send a strong stream of nerve impulses to maintain the optimal tone of the central nervous system, facilitate the movement of venous blood through the vessels to the heart (“muscle pump”), and create the necessary tension for the normal functioning of the motor apparatus. According to the "energy rule of skeletal muscles" by I. A. Arshavsky, the energy potential of the body and the functional state of all organs and systems depend on the nature of the activity of skeletal muscles. The more intense the motor activity within the boundaries of the optimal zone, the more fully the genetic program is implemented, and the energy potential, functional resources of the body and life expectancy increase. Distinguish between the general and special effects of physical exercise, as well as their indirect effect on risk factors. The most common effect of training is the energy consumption, which is directly proportional to the duration and intensity of muscle activity, which makes it possible to compensate for the energy deficit. It is also important to increase the body's resistance to the action of adverse environmental factors: stressful situations, high and low temperatures, radiation, trauma, hypoxia. As a result of an increase in nonspecific immunity, resistance to colds also increases. However, the use of extreme training loads, necessary in professional sports to achieve the "peak" of sports form, often leads to the opposite effect - suppression of immunity and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. A similar negative effect can also be obtained when doing mass physical culture with an excessive increase in load. The special effect of health training is associated with an increase in the functionality of the cardiovascular vascular system. It consists in economizing the work of the heart at rest and increasing the reserve capacity of the circulatory apparatus during muscle activity. One of the most important effects of physical training is the exercise of the heart rate at rest (bradycardia) as a manifestation of the economization of cardiac activity and a lower myocardial oxygen demand. Increasing the duration of the diastole (relaxation) phase provides more blood flow and a better supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. In persons with bradycardia, cases of coronary artery disease were detected much less frequently than in people with a fast pulse. It is believed that an increase in heart rate at rest by 15 beats / min increases the risk of sudden death from a heart attack by 70% - the same pattern is observed with muscle activity. When performing a standard load on a bicycle ergometer in trained men, the volume of coronary blood flow is almost 2 times less than in untrained men (140 vs. /min per 100 g of tissue). Thus, with an increase in the level of fitness, myocardial oxygen demand decreases both at rest and at submaximal loads, which indicates the economization of cardiac activity.
This circumstance is a physiological rationale for the need for adequate physical training for patients with ICS, since as fitness increases and myocardial oxygen demand decreases, the level of threshold load increases, which the subject can perform without the threat of myocardial ischemia and an angina attack. The most pronounced increase in the reserve capacity of the circulatory apparatus during intense muscular activity: an increase in the maximum heart rate, systolic and minute blood volume, arteriovenous oxygen difference, a decrease in total peripheral vascular resistance (TPVR), which facilitates the mechanical work of the heart and increases its productivity. An assessment of the functional reserves of the circulatory system during extreme physical exertion in individuals with different levels of physical condition shows that people with an average UFS (and below average) have minimal functional capabilities bordering on pathology, their physical performance is below 75% of DMPC. On the contrary, well-trained athletes with a high UVF in all respects meet the criteria of physiological health, their physical performance reaches optimal values ​​or exceeds them (100% DMPC or more, or 3 W/kg or more). Adaptation of the peripheral link of blood circulation is reduced to an increase in muscle blood flow at maximum loads (maximum 100 times), arteriovenous oxygen difference, capillary bed density in working muscles, an increase in myoglobin concentration and an increase in the activity of oxidative enzymes. Protective role in prevention cardiovascular disease also plays an increase in blood fibrinolytic activity during health training (maximum 6 times) and a decrease in the tone of the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, the response to neurohormones decreases under conditions of emotional stress, i.e. increases the body's resistance to stress. In addition to a pronounced increase in the reserve capacity of the body under the influence of health training, its preventive effect is also extremely important, associated with an indirect effect on risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. With the growth of fitness (as the level of physical performance increases), there is a clear decrease in all the main risk factors for NES - blood cholesterol, blood pressure and body weight. B. A. Pirogova (1985) in her observations showed: as UFS increased, the cholesterol content in the blood decreased from 280 to 210 mg, and triglycerides from 168 to 150 mg%.
At any age, with the help of training, you can increase aerobic capacity and endurance levels - indicators of the biological age of the body and its viability. For example, in well-trained middle-aged runners, the maximum possible heart rate is about 10 bpm more than in untrained ones. Such physical exercises as walking, running (3 hours per week), after 10-12 weeks, lead to an increase in BMD by 10-15%. Thus, the health-improving effect of mass physical culture is associated primarily with an increase in the aerobic capacity of the body, the level of general endurance and physical performance. An increase in physical performance is accompanied by a preventive effect on risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: a decrease in body weight and fat mass, cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, a decrease in LIP and an increase in HDL, a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, regular physical training can significantly slow down the development of age-related involutional changes in physiological functions, as well as degenerative changes in various organs and systems (including the delay and regression of atherosclerosis). In this regard, the musculoskeletal system is no exception. Performing physical exercises has a positive effect on all parts of the motor apparatus, preventing the development of degenerative changes associated with age and physical inactivity. The mineralization of bone tissue and the calcium content in the body increase, which prevents the development of osteoporosis. Increased lymph flow to the articular cartilage and intervertebral discs, which is the best remedy prevention of arthrosis and osteochondrosis. All these data testify to the invaluable positive impact of health-improving physical culture on the human body.

Security own health- this is the direct responsibility of everyone, he has no right to shift it to others. After all, it often happens that a person with a wrong lifestyle, bad habits, physical inactivity, overeating brings himself to a catastrophic state by the age of 20-30 and only then remembers medicine.
No matter how perfect medicine is, it cannot rid everyone of all diseases. A person is the creator of his own health, for which he must fight. From an early age, it is necessary to lead an active lifestyle, harden, engage in physical education and sports, observe the rules of personal hygiene - in a word, achieve genuine harmony of health in reasonable ways. The integrity of the human personality is manifested, first of all, in the relationship and interaction of the mental and physical forces of the body. The harmony of the psychophysical forces of the body increases the reserves of health, creates conditions for creative self-expression in various areas of our life. An active and healthy person retains youth for a long time, continuing creative activity.
A healthy lifestyle includes the following main elements: fruitful work, a rational mode of work and rest, the eradication of bad habits, an optimal motor regime, personal hygiene, hardening, rational nutrition, etc.
Health is the first and most important human need, which determines his ability to work and ensures the harmonious development of the individual. Therefore, the importance of motor activity in the life of people plays a significant role.

Modern man moves much less than his ancestors. This is primarily due to the achievements of scientific and technical progress: elevators, cars, public transport, etc. Particularly relevant is the problem of insufficient motor activity among knowledge workers. But maybe minimizing muscle activity is a good thing? Maybe in this way we reduce the wear and tear of the musculoskeletal system, internal organs and systems, so to speak, we protect the body? You will find answers to these and some other questions in this article.

In order to understand how motor activity affects the organs and systems of the body, it is necessary to understand how the activity of muscles is carried out and regulated.

The musculoskeletal system consists of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Bones are connected by joints and ligaments. Muscles are attached to bones with tendons. Muscles are innervated (receive commands to start or stop contractile activity) by nerves that send signals from the spinal cord. Proprioreceptors (internal receptors that provide information about the location of body parts in space, about articular angles and the rates of their change, about the amount of mechanical pressure on tissues and internal organs) located in joints, tendons and muscles, provide information to the central nervous system about their condition (position) through nerves that send signals from receptors to the spinal cord. Depending on the type and intensity of the signal, it is either processed at the level of the segment of the spinal cord at which the signal was received, or sent to the "higher authorities" - the medulla oblongata, the cerebellum, the basal nuclei, the motor area of ​​the cerebral cortex. In addition to the nervous system, blood is also involved in the management and provision of muscle work (providing muscles with oxygen and “fuel” - glycogen, glucose, fatty acids; removal of metabolic products, humoral regulation), the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, as well as some glands and organs. The coordinated work of all the above elements allows us to carry out motor activity.

Movement is necessary for effective adaptation of the body to environment. That is, if it is hot here, then we will move to where it is cooler, if we are in danger, then we will run away from it or begin to defend ourselves.

The evolutionary movement was necessary for the body to ensure the balance of the internal environment. That is, it made it possible to move to where it was possible to satisfy the biologically significant needs of the body. With evolutionary species development, it was required to perform a greater range of movements of a more complex nature. This has led to an increase muscle mass and the complexity of the systems that manage it; these changes were accompanied by a shift in the balance of the internal environment (homeostasis). In addition, the movement, leading to a violation of homeostasis, has become one of the most important conditions for its maintenance. That is why movements have such a huge impact on all body systems.

Muscles are genetically programmed to do a huge amount of work. The development of the body and its functioning in different periods of life directly depend on how actively they work. This rule is called the "energy rule of skeletal muscles" and was formulated by I.A. Arshavsky.

A.V. Nagorny and his students proceeded from the belief that aging is synonymous with the age-related development of the organism as a whole. With aging, not just the extinction of volume and functions occurs, but a complex restructuring of the body.

One of the main patterns of aging of the body is the reduction of its adaptive-regulatory capabilities, i.e. "reliability". These changes are gradual.

Stage 1 - " maximum voltage”, mobilization of vitaukt processes. (Vitaukt is a process that stabilizes the life of the organism, increases its reliability, aimed at preventing damage to living systems with age and increasing life expectancy). The optimal range of changes in metabolism and functions is maintained, despite the progression of aging processes.

Stage 2 - "decrease in reliability" - despite the processes of vitauction, the adaptive capabilities of the body are reduced while maintaining the level of basal metabolism and functions.

Stage 3 - change in basal metabolism and functions.

Consequently, with aging, the ability to adapt to significant loads first decreases, and eventually, the level of metabolism and functions changes even at rest.

The level of motor activity affects various organs and systems of the body. Lack of range of motion is called hypokinesia. Chronic insufficient load on the muscles is called hypodynamia. Both the first and the second have much greater consequences for the body than most people think. If hypokinesia is simply a lack of intensity or volume of metabolism, then hypodynamia is morphological changes in organs and tissues caused by hypokinesia.

Consequences of hypokinesia and hypodynamia

IN real life the average citizen does not lie motionless, fixed on the floor: he goes to the store, to work, sometimes even runs after the bus. That is, in his life there is a certain level of physical activity. But it is clearly not enough for the normal functioning of the body! There is a significant amount of debt muscle activity.

Over time, our average citizen begins to notice that something is wrong with his health: shortness of breath, tingling in different places, periodic pain, weakness, lethargy, irritability, and so on. And the further - the worse.

How does the lack of physical activity affect the body?

Cell

Most researchers associate the primary mechanisms of aging with disorders in the genetic apparatus of cells, the program of protein biosynthesis. During normal operation, DNA damage cells are restored due to the existence of a special DNA repair system, the activity of which decreases with age, which contributes to the growth of the damaged chain of the macromolecule, the accumulation of its fragments.

One of the reasons for this weakening of cellular regulation is the lack of overall activity of the body. In many cells, oxygen consumption decreases, the activity of respiratory enzymes decreases, the content of energy-rich phosphorus compounds - ATP, creatine phosphate.

The formation of energy potentials occurs in the mitochondria of the cell. With age, the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins decreases, reduces the amount, and their degradation occurs.

The lability of cells and cellular compounds decreases, i.e. their ability to reproduce frequent rhythms of excitations without their transformation.

Decreased cell mass. Cellular body mass of a healthy 25-year-old male

makes up 47% of the total body weight, and in 70-year-olds, only 36%.

Insufficiency of cellular activity in many tissues of the body contributes to the accumulation of "undigested residues" (excretory inclusions) in cells, which gradually form large reserves in the cell of "senile pigment" - lipofuscin, which impairs the functional functioning of cells.

As a result, there is an intensive accumulation of free radicals in the cells of the whole organism, which causes genetic changes in the cell. There is a critical state of risk of cancer.

Central nervous system (CNS)

With a lack of movement, the volume of impulses from proprioreceptors is significantly reduced. But it is precisely a sufficient level of signals from them that maintains the biologically necessary tone of the central nervous system, ensuring its adequate work to control the body. Therefore, with a lack of motor activity, the following occurs:

The connections between the muscles and the central nervous system worsen

Fatigue sets in quickly

Decreased coordination of movements

Trophic (nutritional) functions of the nervous system are disturbed

The connections between the central nervous system and internal organs worsen, which causes an increase in humoral regulation and a violation of hormonal balance.

The lability of many brain structures decreases, differences in the excitability of various parts of the brain are smoothed out.

The functioning of sensory systems deteriorates

Emotional instability, irritability

All this causes a deterioration in the work of attention, memory, thinking.

Note that it is non-dividing cells (which include nerve, connective, etc.) that age in the first place.

Respiratory system

Lack of movement leads to atrophy of the respiratory muscles. Bronchial peristalsis is weakened. The walls of the bronchi with age are infiltrated by lymphoid and plasma elements, mucus and exfoliating epithelium accumulate in their lumens. This causes a decrease in the lumen of the bronchi. Violated permeability and the number of functioning capillaries.

The lack of muscle activity is reflected in the respiratory function as follows:

Decreased depth of breathing

Decreased lung capacity

Decreased minute volume of breathing

Decreased maximum pulmonary ventilation

All this leads to a decrease in oxygen saturation of arterial blood and insufficient oxygen supply to tissues at rest. In diseases accompanied by an increase in body temperature, the respiratory system is not able to supply organs and tissues with oxygen in the right amount, which leads to metabolic disorders and premature wear of organs. And with muscular work, even of moderate intensity, oxygen debt arises, its duration decreases, and the recovery time also increases.

The cardiovascular system

In a normal state, the main part of the workload of the cardiovascular system is to ensure the return of venous blood from the lower body to the heart. This is facilitated by:

1. Pushing blood through the veins during muscle contraction;

2. The suction action of the chest due to the creation of negative pressure in it during inhalation.

3. The device of the venous bed.

With a chronic lack of muscle work with the cardiovascular system, the following pathological changes occur:

The effectiveness of the “muscle pump” decreases - as a result of insufficient strength and activity of the skeletal muscles;

The effectiveness of the "respiratory pump" to ensure venous return is significantly reduced;

Cardiac output decreases (due to a decrease in systolic volume - a weak myocardium can no longer push out as much blood as before);

The reserve of increase in the stroke volume of the heart is limited when performing physical activity;

The heart rate (HR) increases. This is due to the fact that the effect of cardiac output and other factors to ensure venous return has decreased, but the body needs to maintain a vital level of blood circulation;

Despite the increase in heart rate, the time for a complete blood circulation increases;

As a result of an increase in heart rate, the autonomic balance shifts towards increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system;

Vegetative reflexes from the baroreceptors of the carotid arch and aorta are weakened, which leads to a breakdown in the adequate informativeness of the mechanisms for regulating the proper level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood;

Hemodynamic provision (the required intensity of blood circulation) lags behind the growth of energy demands during physical activity, which leads to an earlier inclusion of anaerobic sources of energy, a decrease in the threshold of anaerobic metabolism;

The amount of circulating blood decreases, i.e., a larger volume of it is deposited (stored in the internal organs);

The muscular layer of the vessels atrophies, their elasticity decreases;

The nutrition of the myocardium is deteriorating (ischemic heart disease looms ahead - every tenth dies from it);

The myocardium atrophies (why do you need a strong heart muscle if high-intensity work is not required?).

The cardiovascular system detrains. Its adaptability is reduced. The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases.

A decrease in vascular tone as a result of the above reasons, as well as smoking and an increase in cholesterol, leads to arteriosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels), the vessels of the elastic type are most susceptible to it - the aorta, coronary, renal and cerebral arteries. The vascular reactivity of hardened arteries (their ability to contract and expand in response to signals from the hypothalamus) is reduced. Atherosclerotic plaques form on the walls of blood vessels. Increased peripheral vascular resistance. Fibrosis, hyaline degeneration develops in small vessels (capillaries), which leads to insufficient blood supply to the main organs, especially the myocardium of the heart.

Increased peripheral vascular resistance, as well as a vegetative shift towards sympathetic activity, becomes one of the causes of hypertension (an increase in pressure, mainly arterial). Due to the decrease in the elasticity of the vessels and their expansion, the lower pressure decreases, which causes an increase in pulse pressure (the difference between the lower and upper pressures), which eventually leads to an overload of the heart.

Hardened arterial vessels become less elastic and more fragile, and begin to collapse, thrombi (blood clots) form at the site of ruptures. This leads to thromboembolism - separation of the clot and its movement in the blood stream. Stopping somewhere in arterial tree, it often causes serious complications in that it interferes with the movement of blood. It often causes sudden death if a clot occludes a vessel in the lungs (pneumoembolism) or in the brain (cerebral vascular incident).

Heart attack, heart pain, spasms, arrhythmia and a number of other cardiac pathologies arise due to one mechanism - coronary vasospasm. At the time of the attack and pain, the cause is a potentially reversible nerve spasm of the coronary artery, which is based on atherosclerosis and ischemia (insufficient oxygen supply) of the myocardium.

Stroke, like cardiovascular disease, is a degenerative process associated with arteriosclerosis, the only difference is that the focus of degeneration (localization pathological changes) are delicate vessels that supply blood to the brain. The cerebral blood vessels are not spared from the general arterial damage caused by arteriosclerosis, overexertion, and so on.

Endocrine and digestive systems

Because endocrine system genetically programmed to ensure the functioning of the body, which produces enough muscle activity, then the lack of physical activity (physical inactivity) causes disturbances in the activity of the endocrine glands.

As a result of the deterioration of the trophism of the tissues of the internal organs and endocrine glands, their functions deteriorate with a compensatory increase in their parts (death of cell groups and hypertrophy of the remaining ones). This applies to the thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands. The blood supply to the stomach wall is disturbed, intestinal peristalsis worsens.

Thus, conditions are created for the emergence of a number of diseases of the endocrine and digestive systems.

All endocrine glands are under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary complex.

Shifts in some parts of this most complex regulatory system are gradually causing changes in other links as well. For example, in men, testosterone production decreases with age, while in women it increases.

The mass of the liver is reduced.

Metabolic disease

As a result of a decrease in the activity of the cardiovascular system, endocrine and autonomic dysfunctions arising from insufficient muscle activity, the intensity of oxidative processes in the tissues of internal organs (hypoxia) decreases, which leads to their degeneration and reduced performance.

There is a violation of lipid, carbohydrate, and later, vitamin metabolism.

It is known that the rate of aging processes after a person has reached full physical maturity is determined by the intensity of metabolism and the rate of cell proliferation (consecutive changes in the structure of cells of different tissues during prenatal development). N.I. Arinchin, the author of the tempo-cyclic hypothesis of aging, on the basis of comparative physiological studies, put forward ideas about the significance of the ratio of the processes of excitation and inhibition in the formation of different life spans of animals, about the optimal for each type of speed of cyclic processes occurring at all levels of the body's vital activity.

Due to autonomic imbalance, which causes, among other things, hyperactivity of the hypatolamo-adrenaline system, and a decrease in hypertensive kidney function and hypertrophy of the glomerular apparatus (caused by hypoxia of kidney tissues), sodium and calcium accumulate in the body, while potassium is lost, which is one of the the main reasons for the increase in vascular resistance with all the consequences. And in general, electrolyte balance is the "holy of holies" of the body, and its violation speaks of a very sad future.

As a result of a general decrease in the level of metabolism, a common picture is hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, the hormones of which stimulate many cellular processes, including those that do not need increased stimulation.

Regulatory shifts lead to the activation of genes that determine the formation of antibodies to free proteins in the body, and damage to cells and tissues by immune complexes.

And, finally, it is no secret to anyone that a lack of physical activity leads to obesity, the development, significance and ways of overcoming which can be found in the article "Obesity".

Musculoskeletal system

The musculoskeletal system also undergoes a number of changes:

The blood supply to the muscles worsens (including due to a decrease in the number of working capillaries);

Metabolism in the muscle decreases (the efficiency of transformation processes decreases, including the formation of ATP);

As a result, the synthesis of ATP is reduced, which is a direct source of energy not only in the muscle, but also in the cells of the whole organism;

Contractile properties of muscles worsen;

Decreased muscle tone;

Decreased muscle strength, speed and endurance (especially static);

The proprioceptive sensitivity of the muscles is impaired (the ability to supply the central nervous system with information about the current location of the muscles in space);

There is a decrease in muscle mass and volume;

Increased excretion of calcium in the urine (this is one of the reasons for the decrease in bone strength);

Violated calcium-phosphorus metabolism in the bones;

Osteoporosis, osteochondrosis, hernia, arthrosis, arthritis and other degenerative and inflammatory processes in the bones and surrounding tissues;

Spinal deformity (with all the ensuing problems);

Decrease in body size with age.

Due to metabolic disorders and poor trophism of bone tissue, there is a significant replacement of bone tissue with fatty tissue. (Sometimes - up to 50% of the state in youth.) Erythropoiesis (hematopoiesis) decreases and the ratio of leukocytes changes. COE (blood clotting) may increase, which contributes to thrombosis. This causes diseases such as anemia, leukemia, etc.

Here summary consequences of insufficient muscle loading. Therefore, it is not surprising that hypokinesia and physical inactivity are considered risk factors for the development of diseases along with smoking and alcoholism.

It should be noted that the lack of muscle activity is especially dangerous in childhood and school age. It leads to a slowdown in the formation of the body, negatively affects the development of the respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine and other systems, resulting in insufficient development of the cerebral cortex. Attention, memory, thinking, character traits worsen, and social adaptation is formed with deviations, which forms the risk of the formation of psychopathologies.

The incidence of colds and infectious diseases also increases and the likelihood of their transition to chronic ones increases.

The effect of physical activity on the body

The value of physical activity has been known since antiquity. That is why systems of physical improvement appeared and developed in various areas of the globe.

A special role is played by motor activity as a factor in the functional induction of the processes of synthesis of biochemical compounds and the restoration of cellular structures, and the restoration of excess (accumulation of free energy"in accordance with the energy rule of skeletal muscles of the negentropic theory of individual development by I.A. Arshavsky, 1982).

Various studies confirm the positive impact of physical culture and health-improving activities on the body: immunity normalizes, the risk of getting colds, infectious, cardiovascular diseases decreases, life expectancy increases, work productivity increases, well-being improves.

With a systematic physical load of medium intensity (65 -75% of the maximum, with a heart rate of 140-160 - see the detailed methodology for calculating the intensity of the load in the nearest site materials), the systems involved in the work, as well as the musculoskeletal system, are trained. Moreover, not only a specific effect takes place (the work of actively participating systems improves), but also a non-specific one (improvement of health in general: the frequency of occurrence of diseases decreases, recovery accelerates).

The functioning of the nervous system improves. The optimal tone of the central nervous system is maintained, coordination of movements improves, regulation of internal organs improves. In the mental sphere, there is a decrease in anxiety, emotional stress, normalization of the psycho-emotional sphere, a decrease in aggressiveness, an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence.

Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Cardiac volume, systolic blood volume, cardiac output at rest and during exercise increase, heart rate at rest decreases, adequate vascular tone is maintained, myocardial blood supply improves, venous return is facilitated (due to more effective use"muscle" and "respiratory" pumps), the number of working capillaries increases, which contributes to increased nutrition and muscle recovery.

IN respiratory system the following changes occur: the depth of breathing increases, its frequency may decrease, the blood supply to the lungs improves, gas exchange processes in them intensify, and the respiratory volume increases.

The following happens in the musculoskeletal system: the volume, strength and endurance of muscles increase, their contractility increases, oxidative capabilities increase, as well as the ability to recover, the work of proprioreceptors improves, posture improves.

Volume of physical activity

It is clear that physical activity is necessary. However, there is a load limit, beyond which additional work is not only useless, but also harmful. With a constant “overload” of the load, a state of overtraining occurs, which can manifest itself in the following:

Sleep is disturbed

Pain in the muscles

The heart rate rises

Increased emotional instability

Loss of appetite and weight loss

Periodic bouts of nausea

Increased chance of getting colds

Blood pressure rises

In addition, excessive loads lead to wear of functional systems that are directly involved in providing work. In this case, negative cross-adaptation occurs - a violation of adaptive capabilities, and systems that are not directly related to this type of load (decreased immunity, impaired intestinal motility, etc.).

High-intensity exercise can cause damage to heart structures and muscles. Prolonged debilitating static loads lead to a decrease in endurance, and dynamic ones lead to increased fatigue. Significant muscle hypertrophy can lead to a deterioration in the provision of their work from the circulatory system, as well as increased production of lactate (a product of oxygen-free, anaerobic glycogen oxidation).

Excessive activity can lead to a shift in autonomic tone towards sympathetic activity, which causes hypertension and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Therefore, it is important to find the optimal level of loads, which, under a given state of the body, will give the maximum training effect.

Various textbooks and health magazines often list average amounts of exercise, as well as training programs that must be performed to stay healthy and strong. For example, below is a table that indicates the required amount of physical activity depending on age.

Optimal volumes of physical activity (A.M. Alekseev, D.M. Dyakov)

Age Amount of physical activity (hours per week)

Preschoolers 21-28

Schoolboy 21-24

Students 10-14

Adults, manual workers

Adults, knowledge workers over 10, individually

Older people 14-21

However, the use of these average figures should be treated with caution. Obviously, the optimal amount of load depends not only on age, but also on the individual level of fitness, health and current psycho-emotional state.

The criteria for optimal load level and training mode can be selected as follows:

The appearance of "muscular joy" after training and its preservation between training sessions (a special elevated emotional state, a state of cheerfulness)

Absence of muscle, joint, tendon pain after training and between them

Performance improvement

Increasing emotional stability

Improving memory and attention

No sleep problems

Appetite improvement

Improving digestion

Endurance Improvement

Strength increase

No increase or significant decrease in heart rate and blood pressure at rest

Conclusions:

Motor activity directly affects the state of all body systems.

An optimal level of physical activity is necessary to maintain health

In the process of training, you need to focus on how you feel and measure some objective indicators of the state of the body.

About what kind of training load for a particular person is necessary (sufficient, but not excessive), you can find in other articles on our site.

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The value of physical activity for a person

Many centuries ago, a person had to actively move in order to get food, build a home, make clothes, etc. Therefore, they say that our body is created for movement. In a developing organism, the cell stores more energy than it uses. This is the so-called skeletal muscle energy rule. Therefore, one of the factors that cause and determine the growth and development of the body is the motor activity of the muscles.

In early childhood, physical exercises contribute to the development of speech, at school and university - the stability of mental performance and mental activity.

Movement is a condition for the development of a young organism, its health, character and attractiveness. movement is closely related to emotional state organism. It relieves stress, affects hormonal phenomena. Muscular activity is constantly accompanied by emotional tension and "removes" its excess. This is due to the fact that the movement stimulates the production of hormones - endorphins and reduces excess adrenaline and hormones that contribute to stress.

Mastering the culture of the movement will help develop the ability to "rule oneself", that is, to maintain emotional balance in any situation, goodwill, respect for the emotional state of another person.

The modern life of a student - classes at school, preparing lessons, reading, TV - predisposes to a sedentary lifestyle. It turned out that about 18 hours a day (including sleep) the teenager is in complete or relative immobility. He has only 6 hours left for outdoor games, walks, sports. The lack of movements affects the general condition of the body: pressure often changes (it becomes either high or low), bones become fragile, a person gets tired quickly, mood changes dramatically. The lack of movement - physical inactivity, as well as overeating, smoking, causes the development of cardiovascular diseases.

A sedentary lifestyle, especially in youth, is not harmless. It leads to a change in the functions of all organ systems and diseases, in particular, the cardiovascular system. Active movement is a sign of a healthy lifestyle.

Low physical activity

Physical inactivity - reduced physical activity - is characteristic of modern urban civilization. Meanwhile, for healthy person systematic physical activity is necessary, starting from childhood and adolescence. Physical inactivity leads to detraining of regulatory mechanisms, a decrease in the functionality of the musculoskeletal system, often to a drop in working capacity and a weakening of the protective functions of the body.

Insufficient physical activity is often combined with obesity. With little physical activity, the adaptability of the cardiovascular system worsens even to light loads. In physically inactive people, the heart rate is on average 10-20% higher than in physically active people. An increase in the heart rate by 5-10 beats per minute leads to an additional number of contractions in just one day by 7-14 thousand. This additional work is done constantly at rest, its volume increases sharply during physical exertion. Studies have shown that people with high physical activity are 2 times less likely to get myocardial infarction and 2-3 times less likely to die from it compared to physically inactive people.

Why is movement and physical activity so necessary for the human body?

Regular physical activity increases the performance of the heart muscle, creates the opportunity for the cardiovascular system to work in the most favorable mode, which is especially important during physical and nervous overload. Regular physical activity contributes to a better blood supply to all organs and tissues, including the heart muscle itself. Constant physical activity contributes to the training of the mechanisms that regulate the coagulation and anticoagulation systems, which is a kind of prevention of blockage of blood vessels by blood clots - the leading cause of myocardial infarction; improves the regulation of blood pressure; prevents cardiac arrhythmias.

The computer has taken away a significant part of the physical activity of a person. Photo: Bruno Cordioli

During physical activity in skeletal muscles, which make up 30-40% of body weight, there is a sharp increase in energy consumption, which stimulates the activity of the cardiovascular system, trains the heart and blood vessels. Causing a significant energy expenditure, regular physical activity contributes to the normalization of metabolism and helps to neutralize the effects of excess nutrition. According to some authors, physical exercise and an active lifestyle can significantly (up to 50%) reduce the level of cardiovascular disease.

In modern society, the level of physical activity of people has decreased significantly, as the production and living conditions. Over millions of years, people have adapted to great physical exertion, the periodic absence or lack of food. Detraining and overnutrition are the scourge of modern humanity. Who among us has not seen how young people wait for an elevator for a long time, instead of walking up one or two floors. Many are ready to stand idle at public transport stops, but it never occurs to them to go through several stops on foot. The point here is not a lack of time, but over short distances, with the irregularity of transport, there is often no gain in time.

Students are not allowed to run during breaks. Many schools have introduced the so-called changeable shoes. It turns out that for the sake of cleanliness at school, children are deprived of the opportunity to run out during the break to the school yard, run, play, and physically discharge themselves. Teachers, of course, made life a little easier for themselves, but are there schools for them?

Some parents consider an exemplary child to be one who sits at home from morning to evening. If he spends a lot of time in the yard (on the street), then he risks getting scolded for soiled clothes and a bruise received in the game.

A normal, healthy child, as a rule, is restless, active, a walk for him is not only a pleasure, but a physiological necessity. Unfortunately, parents often deprive their children of the opportunity to walk if they have learning problems. Naturally, such educational measures often lead to a result opposite to what was expected. Instructions, like: “First, do all the homework, and then go for a walk!”, speak of the parents’ lack of elementary ideas about the hygiene of study and rest. After all, before that, the child worked at school for 5-6 hours. This fact cannot but cause concern: with age, the physical activity of a schoolchild falls. Studies conducted among Australian schoolchildren showed that at the age of 13, 46.5% of boys and 24.6% of girls are actively involved in sports, and at 17, only 10.3 and 3.9%, respectively. Not too comforting figures were obtained during the examination of our schoolchildren. They also show a decrease in physical activity as they get older, with some girls also experiencing a decline in exercise capacity. We often rely too much on physical education lessons at school or vocational schools. Undoubtedly, the introduction of a physical education lesson or a physical culture break is a good thing, but without everyday physical activity, which is the true need of the body, it is unrealistic to expect significant changes in health status. Sometimes one hears such an opinion: if a person does not want to go in for sports, increase his physical activity, you should not interfere with him, otherwise he will commit violence against himself and this will not lead to anything good. It seems to us that such a judgment is unconvincing. Too many people justify their inertia, laziness with such “valid” reasons as overload at work, the desire to relax after a hard day, watch TV, read a book, etc. Considering this situation normal is the same as justifying smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating, because low physical activity is also a bad habit. We do not advocate that everyone without exception participate in sports competitions and engage in sections, although, undoubtedly, such a pastime could attract significantly more young people than is now observed. There is no sympathy for the desire of some parents to bring up record holders from their children at all costs. Big sport, associated with increased physical exertion, is not for everyone and is the lot of a few. We are talking about constant, moderate physical activity, taking into account the tastes and inclinations of each. It does not matter if a young man does not immediately find an attractive type of physical activity for himself, it is worse if he does not even try to find it.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for parents to seek to free their children even from physical education lessons at school, and doctors follow their lead and free the child from physical education lessons for a long time, even after a slight indisposition, thereby creating obstacles to quick recovery and improvement of health.

How to deal with hypokinesia?

Once you have made the decision to start a “new” life, it is advisable to get support from relatives and friends. Regardless of which way you decide to increase your physical activity, it is advisable to make it a rule not to use the elevator and public transport for short distances. Going to work or school, leave the house 10-15 minutes earlier and walk part of the distance.

Hypodynamia

One of the significant risk factors for the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system is physical inactivity. The level of physical activity today has decreased not only among urban residents, but also among rural residents, which is associated with a decrease in the share of physical labor both in industry and in agriculture. Even summer vacations and trips out of town at the end of the week, many people prefer to spend in the car, limiting walking, skiing and cycling to a minimum. Statistical studies have shown that among people who walk more than 1 hour a day, coronary heart disease occurs 5 times less than people who prefer transport to walking. There is also a clear relationship between the degree of hypodynamia and the possibility of developing hypertension. This is due to a number of reasons. First of all, physical activity significantly improves blood circulation, the mechanisms of its regulation and adaptation to the constantly changing demands of the body in accordance with different environmental conditions. Therefore, the reaction to the load in more physically trained individuals is carried out with a more economical expenditure of energy and with less activation of the sympathetic nervous system. It is also important that these people respond to emotional stress with a less significant increase in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. Consequently, constant moderate physical activity adapts a person to emotional stress. Moderate and constant muscle tension has a calming effect on the central nervous system, which is also an important factor in the prevention of hypertension and coronary disease hearts.

During exercise, the energy costs of the body increase and appetite decreases (in relation to energy costs), which prevents the development of obesity. An increase in physical activity with a parallel increase in energy consumption leads to an intensification of metabolism, promotes the utilization of fats and lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood, which is one of the critical factors prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Physical activity should be considered not only as the most important factor in preventing the development of heart and vascular diseases, but also as an essential part of the complex therapy of patients with many cardiovascular diseases.

Helpful Hints

Movement should be fun. When choosing the time for physical education and sports, be creative: do it every day before classes or immediately after returning home; team up with friends in sports, do exercises in any free time, force yourself to walk; when approaching the elevator, remember that there is a ladder. Don't let yourself be lazy.

Recently, exercise machines and gymnastic devices for individual use have become increasingly popular. These are exercise bikes, "health walls", treadmills, massagers and mini-training devices with game elements. They allow exercise all year round regardless of weather conditions.

A sedentary lifestyle, especially in youth, is not harmless. It leads to a change in the functions of all organ systems and diseases, in particular, the cardiovascular system. Active movement is a sign of a healthy lifestyle.

The causes of muscle weakness are many 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, physiotherapy, and acupuncture.

Muscle weakness is a fairly common complaint, but weakness has a wide range of meanings, including fatigue, decreased muscle strength, and the inability of the 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 help of muscles the first time. There is an objective decrease in muscle strength and strength does not increase regardless of effort. That is, the muscle does not work properly - this is abnormal.

When this type of muscle weakness occurs, the muscles appear to have fallen asleep, 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 perform the usual load. And this is a real change in muscle strength.

Muscle fatigue

Fatigue is sometimes referred to as asthenia. This is the feeling of tiredness or exhaustion that a person feels when the muscles are used. The muscles don't really get weaker, they can still do their job, but doing muscle work takes a lot of effort. This type of muscle weakness is often 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 mainly has increased fatigue - the muscle starts to work, but quickly gets tired and takes more time to restore function. Fatigue is often associated with muscle fatigue, but this 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 a 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 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.

Main causes of muscle weakness

Lack of adequate physical activity- inactive (sedentary) way of life.

Lack of muscle loading is one of the most common causes of muscle weakness. If the muscles are not used, then the muscle fibers in the muscles are partly 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, but their number decreases, and they are not reduced as effectively. 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 period of recovery after exercise is observed at the age of 20-30 years. That is why most great athletes achieve high results at this age. However, strengthening muscles through regular exercise can be done at any age. Many successful distance runners have been in their 40s. Muscle tolerance during a long activity, such as a marathon, remains high for longer than during 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 their physical fitness, 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 decent, nevertheless, the inability to do what was possible in more young age often brings discomfort. However, exercise is still beneficial in old age, and safe exercise can increase muscle strength. But the recovery time after an injury is much longer in old age, as involutional changes in metabolism occur and bone fragility increases.

infections

Infections and diseases are among the most common causes of temporary muscle fatigue. This occurs due to inflammatory processes in the muscles. And sometimes, even if the infectious disease has regressed, the restoration of muscle strength can take a long period of time. Sometimes this can cause chronic fatigue syndrome. Any disease with fever and inflammation of the muscles can be a trigger for chronic fatigue syndrome. However, some diseases are more likely to cause this syndrome. These include the flu, 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 levels of steroids in the blood, combined with iron deficiency, can cause a feeling of muscle fatigue. This is a completely normal muscle reaction to pregnancy, however, certain gymnastics can and should be carried out, but significant physical exertion should be excluded. In addition, in pregnant women, due to a violation of biomechanics, low back pain often occurs.

chronic diseases

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

Peripheral vascular disease is caused by narrowing of the arteries, usually due to 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 characteristic of peripheral vascular disease than muscle weakness.

Diabetes - this disease can lead to muscle weakness and loss of fitness. High level blood sugar puts the muscles at a disadvantage, their functioning is impaired. In addition, as diabetes develops, there is a disruption in the structure peripheral nerves(polyneuropathy), which in turn impairs normal muscle innervation and leads to muscle weakness. In addition to the nerves, diabetes causes damage to the arteries, which also leads to poor blood supply to the muscles and weakness. Heart disease, especially heart failure, can lead to impaired 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 fast 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 atrophy, although this mostly happens 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 affect the level of calcium and vitamin D. Kidney diseases also cause the accumulation of toxic substances (toxins) in the blood, since a violation of the excretory function of the kidneys 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 nutrition, 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 caused 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 a feeling 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 release of chemicals (hormones) in the body that respond to pain and injury. These chemical substances lead to feelings of tiredness or fatigue. 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. Performing exercises without "warming up" and stretching the muscles is a common cause of muscle damage. With any muscle injury, bleeding occurs from 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 localized pain, but later on weakness may appear.

Medicines

Many medications can cause muscle weakness and muscle damage as a side effect or allergic reaction. It usually starts out as fatigue. But damage can progress if medication is not stopped. The most commonly reported medications are statins, certain antibiotics (including ciprofloxacin and penicillin), and anti-inflammatory pain medications (such as naproxen and diclofenac).

Long-term use of oral steroids also causes muscle weakness and atrophy. It's expected by-effect steroids for 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 cardiac drugs (eg amiodarone).
• Preparations for chemotherapy.
• HIV drugs.
• Interferons.
• Medicines used to treat an overactive thyroid.

Other substances.

Long-term alcohol use can lead to weakness of the shoulder and hip muscles.

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

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

Sleep disorders

Problems that disrupt or reduce the duration of sleep lead to muscle fatigue, muscle fatigue. These disorders may include: insomnia, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, restless leg syndrome, shift work, and having 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 is not fully understood. Muscles are not inflamed, but 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, the muscles are not collapsed and may have normal strength when tested. This is reassuring, as it means that the chances of recovery and full functional recovery are very high. CFS also causes psychological fatigue when performing intellectual activities, such as long reading and communication also becomes tiring. Patients often show signs of depression and sleep disturbances.

fibromyalgia

This disease resembles the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. However, in fibromyalgia, the muscles become tender to the touch and tire very quickly. Muscles in fibromyalgia do not collapse and remain strong on 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 hypotrophy may develop over time. Such changes can be serious and in some cases irreversible. Hypothyroidism is a common disease, but, as a rule, with timely selection of treatment, muscle problems can be avoided.

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 associated with 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 taking steroids (which must be taken for many months before there is a curative effect). Unfortunately, steroids themselves can also cause muscle loss and weakness when taken for a long time.

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

Oncological diseases

Cancer and other cancers can cause direct muscle damage, but cancer in any part of the body can also cause generalized muscle fatigue. In the later stages oncological disease loss of body weight 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 that affect the nerves usually result in 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 will atrophy. Neurological diseases: Muscle weakness can be caused by cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke and cerebral hemorrhages or spinal cord injuries. 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.

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

Other nervous diseases:

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

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a post-viral nerve lesion resulting in paralysis and muscle weakness or loss of muscle function from the fingers to the toes. This condition can last for many months, although there is usually a full recovery of function.

Parkinson's disease: This is a progressive disease of the central nervous system, both the motor sphere and 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 disease occurs in children and leads to a gradual loss of muscle strength.

Some rare muscular dystrophies may 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 - is a rare disease that causes collections of cells (granulomas) in the skin, lungs, and soft tissues, including muscles. The condition may heal on its own after a few years.

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

Other rare causes: Direct muscle damage can occur in rare hereditary metabolic diseases. Examples include: glycogen storage diseases and, even more rarely, mitochondrial diseases, which occur when the energy systems within muscle cells do not work properly.

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

motor neuron disease is a progressive nerve disease that affects all parts of the body. Most forms of motor neuron disease begin in the distal extremities and gradually involve 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 is most commonly seen in men over 50, but there have been many notable exceptions to this rule, including 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 disease in which the muscles tire quickly and take a long time to recover from contractile function. Muscle dysfunction may 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. In case of exposure to phosphates, weakness and paralysis may be persistent.

Addison's disease

Addison's disease is a rare disorder in which the adrenal glands become underactive, leading to a lack of steroids in the blood and an imbalance in blood electrolytes. The disease usually develops gradually. Patients may notice a change in skin color (tanning) 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 special examinations are required to diagnose this disease. Other rare hormonal causes of muscle weakness include acromegaly (excessive production of growth hormone), an underactive pituitary gland (hypopituitarism), and severe vitamin D deficiency.

Diagnosis of muscle weakness and treatment

In the presence of muscle weakness, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will be primarily interested in answers to the following questions:

• How did muscle weakness appear and when?
• Are there any dynamics of muscle weakness, both increase and decrease?
• Is there a change in general well-being, weight loss, or have you traveled abroad recently?
• What medications is the patient taking and has anyone in the patient's family had muscle problems?

The physician 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 of the muscles becoming softer to the touch (which could be a sign of inflammation) or if the muscles are tiring too quickly.

The doctor should then check the nerve conduction to determine if there are any conduction disorders from the nerves to the muscles. In addition, the doctor may need to check the central nervous system, including balance and coordination, and may order laboratory tests to determine changes in hormone levels, electrolytes, and other indicators.

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 in those parts of the body that can affect muscle strength and function.

The combination of medical history data, symptoms, objective examination data and the results of laboratory and instrumental methods of research 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, metabolic drug, etc.), the treatment should be pathogenetic. Treatment can be either conservative or surgical.

Muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis) can occur as an independent disease or be a manifestation of various pathological processes occurring in the human body. For example, protein deficiency, intoxication, anemia and arthritis. Short-term muscle weakness often occurs after a sleepless night, severe overwork and stress. Prolonged myasthenia gravis should be regarded as a symptom and in case of any of its manifestations, consult a doctor.

myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis ¾ muscle weakness. Refers to autoimmune diseases. It has a chronic, inevitably progressive course with frequent exacerbations. In the vast majority, it is diagnosed for the first time in patients aged 20-40 years. Women suffer from myasthenia gravis more often than men. It is extremely rare in children. Among the reasons that provoke true muscle weakness are ¾ of the genetic factor, immune disorders, stress and infections. Also, this disease can be a companion of oncological pathologies in the thymus, ovaries, lungs and mammary glands.

With myasthenia gravis in the body, the supply of impulses among neurons is disrupted. As a result, the interaction between muscles and nerves disappears, gradually the body becomes completely uncontrollable.

Myasthenia is manifested by the following symptoms:

• Great weakness in the muscles.
• abnormal fatigue.
• The condition worsens after physical exertion. The more severe the patient's disease stage, the less exercise may be needed to cause muscle weakness.
• In more severe cases, it is difficult to breathe.
• The voice becomes nasal.
• It is difficult for the patient to keep his head straight due to fatigue of the neck muscles.
• Dropping of the eyelids.

All of the above symptoms tend to increase. Sometimes patients completely lose the ability to serve themselves. The main danger is myasthenic crises, which are manifested by severe muscle weakness with severe violation breathing.

Depending on the symptoms, muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis) is divided into several types. The following forms of the disease are distinguished:

• Eye. Only the muscles of the eyes are affected. Sometimes within 2-3 years it can be a symptom of a generalized form of myasthenia gravis. The patient has droopy eyelids and double vision.
• Bulbar. The patient complains that it is difficult for him to speak, swallow, breathe. All these manifestations tend to increase, as a result, the patient may completely or partially lose all of the above functions.
• Generalized. Muscle weakness affects almost all muscle groups. The most common form of the disease.
• Lightning. The most dangerous. Most often provoked by a malignant process in the thymus gland. The course of the disease is so rapid that drug treatment does not have time to give the proper therapeutic effect. More often than not, it ends in serious consequences.

The diagnosis is made on the basis of a blood test for antibodies, CT of the thymus, and electromyography. The prozerin test is considered especially reliable. If a subcutaneous injection of prozerin has a positive effect on the patient and the symptoms of muscle weakness subside for a short time, then we can talk about various forms of myasthenia gravis. It is not possible to completely recover from this disease. The patient must be under constant medical supervision and take medications for life.

Other causes of muscle weakness

Often patients confuse the symptoms of muscle weakness with the usual overwork, which is manifested by a decrease in muscle strength. For example, prolonged wearing of uncomfortable shoes or work associated with lifting weights often cause a feeling of reduced tone in the most involved muscle group. Also, muscle weakness may be present in such pathological conditions of the body as:

• Stoop, scoliosis, round back. The main cause of poor posture is a weak muscular corset.

• Depression.
• Neurosis.
• Anorexia.
• Insomnia.
• Alcoholism.
• Addiction.

Muscle weakness is not uncommonly a manifestation of disease.

Disease	Description
Lack of potassium in the body	A provoking factor can be severe stress, dehydration, kidney pathology. Muscle contraction is disrupted in the body. Manifested by severe fatigue, constipation, flatulence, depression. In severe cases of potassium deficiency, partial paralysis often occurs.
Vitamin E deficiency	With a lack of vitamin E, the body starts the mechanism of destruction of muscle fibers. The main initial symptom of vitamin E deficiency is dry, non-elastic skin, then manifestations of muscle weakness begin to increase. Pregnant women have difficulty giving birth due to weak contraction of the uterine muscles during childbirth
Addison's disease	A chronic disease in which the adrenal glands do not secrete the necessary amount of cortisol, aldosterone, female and male sex hormones. Manifested by impotence, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, loose stools, skin pigmentation
Multiple sclerosis	With multiple sclerosis, the protective sheath that covers the nerve fibers of the spinal cord and brain is destroyed, which causes muscle weakness, impaired coordination, pain when moving the eyes, and loss of vision. Also, there is weakness of the muscle wall Bladder which causes uncontrolled urination
	It is characterized by a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood. Manifested by fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, pallor and dryness of the skin and mucous membranes
	Muscle inflammation. Occurs due to hypothermia, injury or prolonged overvoltage. Aching pain in the muscles appears, which hinders movement
	Inflammatory process in the joints. It is characterized by swelling in the area of ​​the affected joints, redness, soreness, limited movements. Also, there is weakness in the muscles and increased body temperature. Among the causes that cause arthritis are heredity, allergies, injuries, infections.

Diabetes

Diabetes This is a chronic endocrine disease, due to which muscle weakness appears throughout the body. As a result of the production of an insufficient amount of the hormone insulin in the pancreas, a violation of carbohydrate metabolism occurs in the body, which provokes a persistent increase in the patient's blood sugar. Depending on the causes that cause it, diabetes is divided into two types:

1. Diabetes mellitus of the first type. A complete lack of insulin production develops due to the effect of the immune system on the cells of the pancreas. As a result, a metabolic disorder occurs, which can cause various complications (blindness, kidney failure, gangrene). Patients are forced to monitor their blood sugar daily and inject certain doses of insulin.
2. Diabetes mellitus of the second type. There is a relative deficiency of insulin in the body. Obesity, pancreatitis, low physical activity, long-term use of corticosteroids often provoke the development of this form of diabetes. At the initial stage of the disease, light exercise, a low-carbohydrate diet, and weight loss can have a positive effect. If left untreated, there is a high risk of complications consistent with type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes is manifested by the following symptoms:

• The most important symptom of diabetes is extreme thirst and dry mouth.
• Frequent urination, especially at night.
• Poor wound healing.
• Itching and dry skin.
• Reduced immunity (frequent viral infections, furunculosis).
• Visual impairment.
• Irritability.
• Pain in the abdomen.
• Pain in the legs.
• Lethargy.
• Weakness in all muscles.

Important! If a diabetic develops such symptoms as severe hunger, trembling throughout the body, irritability, pallor of the skin, heavy sweating, anxiety, palpitations, it is necessary to give him a drink of sweet tea or eat a candy. These are the signs of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), a dangerous condition that precedes a hypoglycemic coma.

sports sickness

Sometimes any sport begins with great enthusiasm and ends with overtraining (sports sickness). A state when the desire to attend classes disappears, mood worsens, apathy appears. It occurs in cases where the body is not able to fully recover in the intervals between workouts due to inadequate excessive load. This becomes the main cause of the condition when muscle weakness appears, efficiency decreases, physical performance and endurance are lost. Also, there are symptoms such as:

• Loss of appetite.
• Lethargy.
• Irritability.
• Depressive state.
• Insomnia.
• Wandering pain in the muscles.
• Aversion to training.

If at least four of the above signs of sports disease appear, it is necessary to take a break in classes for about two weeks until full recovery. Also, massages, calm swimming in the pool or in open water, no more than 20 minutes, a warm bath with the addition of 5 drops will help to cope with overtraining. essential oil pines.

The causes of muscle weakness in the body are varied. Sometimes it is overwork, lack of sleep, deficiency of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids. Not infrequently, myasthenia can be a manifestation of various diseases. It is necessary to try to avoid stress, reasonably approach sports activities, fully relax and eat. If you experience unreasonable prolonged muscle weakness, you should consult a doctor. Very often, timely treatment helps to avoid severe complications of the disease or prevent further development of pathologies.