Muscle Disorders
Reading this article
Topic pages summarize public health information in plain language. They may describe common causes and treatments in general terms; your own plan of care depends on your clinician’s exam, history, and tests. Use what you read here to prepare questions—not to start, stop, or change medications or to self-diagnose.
Your muscles help you move and help your body work. Different types of muscles have different jobs. There are many problems that can affect muscles. Muscle disorders can cause weakness, pain or even paralysis.
Causes of muscle disorders include:
- Injury or overuse, such as sprains or strains, cramps or tendinitis
- A genetic disorder, such as muscular dystrophy
- Some cancers
- Inflammation, such as myositis
- Diseases of nerves that affect muscles
- Infections
- Certain medicines
Sometimes the cause of muscle disorders is unknown.