Muscle weakness is often the first indication of myopathic conditions (inflammatory muscle diseases). But this doesn't always involve pain.
People of all ages are susceptible to inflammatory myopathies. Two such conditions include polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Both cause muscle weakness nearer to the trunk of the body.
What does muscle inflammation feel like?
When we think of inflammation, our minds often jump straight to swelling and redness that occurs as a result of infection or injury. But chronic inflammation – where the body continuously releases pro-inflammatory cells and substances without being caused by infection or injury – can be more dangerous. It may lead to internal scarring as well as DNA destruction in healthy cells that contributes to conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer or Type-2 diabetes.
Myositis, an inflammation of muscle tissue, belongs to a subcategory of rare diseases known as Inflammatory Myopathies or Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies and accounts for nearly 10% of cases worldwide. These conditions are characterized by muscle weakness, inflammation of surrounding tissues and, sometimes, pain in muscles. While their causes remain unknown, these illnesses affect people of any age or race equally. Myositis typically affects hips, shoulders, and thighs but can also attack breathing muscles (known as dermatomyositis) or heart tissue (in polymyositis). While attacks of myositis may come and go at any given time, healthcare providers can assist you in finding treatments and exercises to manage symptoms between attacks.
How do you treat inflammation in muscles?
There are various inflammatory myopathies, or "myositis," affecting muscle disease known as "inflammatory myopathy." Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are two such conditions, caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking healthy muscles instead of bacteria and viruses; over time this leads to inflammation within muscles weakening them over time causing further symptoms within other parts of your body such as skin lungs heart etc.
Inflammatory myopathies affect people of all ages, races and genders – though they most commonly arise during middle age; female sufferers are twice as likely to contract them than their male counterparts.
Symptoms of myositis vary depending on the type of myositis you have; some can be more severe than others and change over time or weeks or months. You may develop a distinctive rash on your face, wrists and fingers (dermatomyositis); breathing problems are sometimes experienced with polymyositis and dermatomyositis myositis respectively.
Your doctor will ask questions to help assess myositis, such as when and how it first appeared; whether the condition has worsened over time; any additional symptoms; blood tests for enzyme, hormone and electrolyte levels; an MRI/CT scan may help locate sources such as muscle tears; EMG may also be performed by inserting tiny needle electrodes into muscles to record electrical signals from nerve endings that allow movement;
How do you check for muscle inflammation?
Myopathies, or inflammatory muscle diseases, cause swelling and weakness. They affect people of all ages, races and genders but most frequently affect children between 5-10 years of age and adults aged 40-50 years; women are twice as likely to contract these diseases than men.
Myositis can lead to long-term weakness and pain, so early diagnosis is essential. Your doctor may order blood tests that look for elevated muscle enzymes as well as abnormal antibodies which could indicate autoimmune disease, or they may conduct a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan which uses large magnets and computers to produce images of muscles; electromyography (EMG), in which needle electrodes are inserted into muscle areas to record how they respond to electrical nerve signals, may also provide valuable diagnostic insights; otherwise they could perform a biopsy by taking small muscle samples under microscope for analysis – an outpatient diagnostic exam which may provide insight.
At NYU Langone, our specialists use the results of these tests to formulate a personalized treatment plan designed to ease symptoms and enhance quality of life.
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