Muscle Weakness – Causes, Symptoms and Recovery
Muscle weakness is a state in which a muscle cannot produce its usual strength. The causes range from lack of use and recovery after injury to more serious conditions, which is why it is important to find out where it comes from.
What muscle weakness is
Muscle weakness means a muscle produces less force than expected. It differs from ordinary tiredness – with weakness it is hard to do things that used to be easy, such as climbing stairs, lifting an object or getting up from a chair.
The most common cause is lack of loading – after long inactivity, a cast, surgery or a period of little movement, muscles weaken. Weakness can also appear with pain that limits movement, with a pinched nerve, and with a number of conditions that need a medical assessment.
When weakness results from lack of loading or from recovery after injury, in most people strength returns gradually with properly dosed exercise. Sudden, rapidly worsening or unexplained weakness needs a doctor’s examination.
What may contribute
- long inactivity or immobilisation in a cast
- recovery after surgery or injury
- low physical activity with age
- pain that leads to avoiding movement
- a pinched or irritated nerve
- poor sleep, nutrition or excessive training load
How it shows up
- difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from a chair
- tiring quickly during usual activities
- a feeling that the limb “gives way”
- weaker grip or trouble lifting objects
- a visibly thinner muscle on one side
- unsteadiness when walking or stumbling
How we can help
We start with a detailed assessment of strength, mobility and the way you move. We build an individual plan of therapeutic exercise with gradually increasing load, and where needed use manual therapy, therapeutic massage and electrotherapy to support muscle activity and ease pain. If the assessment shows signs that call for a doctor’s opinion, we will refer you to a specialist.
When to seek urgent medical help
Seek urgent medical care for sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, a drooping face, difficulty speaking or seeing, or rapidly worsening weakness in the legs or arms. Immediate assessment is also needed for loss of bladder or bowel control. See a doctor too if weakness is unexplained, constant, or comes with weight loss or muscle twitching.
This page is for information only and does not replace an assessment by a specialist.