What are the Most Common Diseases of the Muscular System?

Can you name the most common muscular diseases? Having a strong understanding of the most common muscular diseases can help you better assist patients. Here are the top conditions that should be on your mind.

Diseases of the muscular system are most often caused by weakness and structural abnormalities of the muscles. However, some muscular diseases are genetic, while others result from certain movements and sports.

The Muscular System

The muscular system is a complex network of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones that work together to allow you to move your body.

The muscular system includes:

• Skeletal muscle tissue
• Smooth muscle tissue
• Cardiac muscle tissue

Most Common Diseases of the Muscular System

The muscles are responsible for the movement of the body, as well as providing support and protection for other organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. Muscle strength and endurance can be affected by several factors including age, gender, hormone levels and activity level. Muscular diseases are a group of disorders that affect skeletal muscle.

The most common muscular diseases are:

• Muscular dystrophy causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle tissue

• Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain throughout the body.

• Osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when cartilage begins to wear away from bones within joints causing pain and loss of mobility.

• Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the muscles.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome is an entrapment neuropathy which results from compression or irritation at the wrist due to swelling or pressure on the median nerve (one of five major nerves in each hand).

• Arthritis refers to inflammation in one or more joints in the body.