Muscular System: Facts, Functions & Diseases
The nervous system controls the actions of the muscles, although some muscles, including the cardiac muscle, can function autonomously. Muscles make up more than half of the weight of the human body, and people who do heavy weight training often gain weight because muscle is about three times as dense as fat.
The muscular system can be broken down into three types of muscles:
skeletal, smooth and cardiac.
Diseases of the muscular system
There is no one type of doctor that treats muscular diseases and disorders. Rheumatologists, orthopedists, and neurologists may all treat conditions which affect the muscles.
Because the muscular system impacts so many of the functions necessary to sustain life, any disease or disorder can cause health problems, ranging from minor to severe. Not only do muscular disorders affect mobility, but can result
in many other functional abnormalities, such as the inability to breath, swallow or speak.
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that damages muscle fibers. The symptoms of muscular dystrophy disease include
weakness, loss of mobility and lack of coordination. More than 50,000 Americans suffer with one of the nine forms of the disease, which can occur at any time in a person’s life and has no cure.
Cerebral palsy impacts posture, balance and motor functions. Brain damage during or before childbirth causes a loss of muscle tone, making it
difficult to perform everyday tasks. It is one of the most common congenital disorders.
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that results in muscle weakness and fatigue. A breakdown of the
neuromuscular junction causes the brain to lose control over these muscles, which can result in difficulty breathing and swallowing,
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects
nerve cells in the brain. It is a fatal disease that affects 30,000 Americans at any one time and leads to a loss of control over voluntary muscle movement, making it increasingly difficult to swallow, breath and speak. The disease ultimately causes paralysis and death.
The nervous system controls the actions of the muscles, although some muscles, including the cardiac muscle, can function autonomously. Muscles make up more than half of the weight of the human body, and people who do heavy weight training often gain weight because muscle is about three times as dense as fat.
The muscular system can be broken down into three types of muscles:
skeletal, smooth and cardiac.
Diseases of the muscular system
There is no one type of doctor that treats muscular diseases and disorders. Rheumatologists, orthopedists, and neurologists may all treat conditions which affect the muscles.
Because the muscular system impacts so many of the functions necessary to sustain life, any disease or disorder can cause health problems, ranging from minor to severe. Not only do muscular disorders affect mobility, but can result
in many other functional abnormalities, such as the inability to breath, swallow or speak.
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that damages muscle fibers. The symptoms of muscular dystrophy disease include
weakness, loss of mobility and lack of coordination. More than 50,000 Americans suffer with one of the nine forms of the disease, which can occur at any time in a person’s life and has no cure.
Cerebral palsy impacts posture, balance and motor functions. Brain damage during or before childbirth causes a loss of muscle tone, making it
difficult to perform everyday tasks. It is one of the most common congenital disorders.
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disease that results in muscle weakness and fatigue. A breakdown of the
neuromuscular junction causes the brain to lose control over these muscles, which can result in difficulty breathing and swallowing,
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects
nerve cells in the brain. It is a fatal disease that affects 30,000 Americans at any one time and leads to a loss of control over voluntary muscle movement, making it increasingly difficult to swallow, breath and speak. The disease ultimately causes paralysis and death.