By Nicholas Williams
Muscular atrophy- the silent thief of strength and mass.
Per the Cleveland Clinic, muscle loss or muscular atrophy, is the wasting or thinning of muscle tissue throughout your body. While this can be the result of some neurological conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common cause is disuse of the afflicted muscle group(s).
One common misconception about muscular atrophy is that missing a day or two at the gym will grant you a loss in muscle mass. This, however, is not the case; dependent on your age and activity level, it takes roughly two weeks for atrophy to begin taking place.
There are a few main contributors to those experiencing disuse atrophy; sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, injury, desk jobs, bed rest and age all have been shown to contribute to muscle loss. Along with those, reconstructive muscle surgery also leads to atrophy.
First-year Susquehanna basketball player Jayden Statum, 19, faced two shoulder surgeries that left him with significant muscle loss. His first procedure was to repair a Bankart lesion in his left labrum. Statum said this surgery left him with a sizable loss of motor skill.
“I pretty much had to relearn how to dribble,” said Statum.
He later retore the same shoulder after returning to play, forcing him to get a latarjet procedure. This left him with severe muscle loss in his shoulder.
“I could visually see it being smaller than my right arm,” said Statum.
It has been about six months since his last surgery, and he is hoping to return to play by month eight.
When experiencing muscular atrophy, there are a few key signs to look for: shrinking limbs, loss of strength, numbness of limbs, trouble walking, difficulty swallowing and speaking, facial weakness, and gradual memory loss.
According to VeryWell Health, disuse atrophy can be a temporary condition, that is if one takes the proper rehabilitation steps. It is recommended that, if able, you perform various exercises and movements daily to regain what was lost.
Some patients, specifically serious cases, may have limited mobility and severe pain when performing action. If this is the case, a progressive therapy program would have to be put in place by a doctor or physical therapist.
This condition is common and can be easily resolved; if left untreated however, it can wreak havoc on one’s body.
