There are three kinds of muscles in the human body; skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles. The skeletal muscles are the voluntary set of muscles, while the other two types work on their own, without any conscious effort thus are involuntary. Any of these muscles can be impaired in their function due to a variety of factors such as sedentary lifestyle, infection, medication, underlying medical disorders, etc. Diseases and Disorders of Muscles Myopathy This term is generally used to refer to multiple types of skeletal muscle diseases. Symptoms which commonly occur with this disease include: ☛ Muscle weakness to such an extent that the affected person becomes unable to do routine tasks ☛ Cramping, stiffness, tenderness, and tightness Fibromyalgia Another common muscle disorder is fibromyalgia. It is more common in women than in men. According to medical experts, this disorder interferes with the processing of pain signals by the brain by amplifying painful sensations. The characteristic symptoms of this incurable chronic disease include: ☛ Pain at various places in the body such as the upper hips, side of the hips, back of the head, top of the shoulders and inner knees. The upper chest area, the area between the shoulder blades, and front sides of the neck are also affected ☛ The above symptoms may be accompanied by fatigue, depression, anxiety for no real reason, headaches, and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Unlike the normal feeling of fatigue, this condition does not improve with rest or sleep, but only worsens with physical and even mental inactivity. There could be several kinds of symptoms that may show up in this disorder, sometimes making it difficult to be diagnosed. ☛ Fatigue, which may be accompanied by memory problems, less concentration, and sleep is not refreshing ☛ Sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, abnormal muscle pain, and pain radiating from one joint to another ☛ A headache that is different from what occurs normally ☛ Feeling of being washed out extremely, which may last for more than a day after indulging in physical or mental work ☛ Chest pain, diarrhea, dry mouth, jaw pain, nausea, chills, dizziness, cough (chronic), bloated feeling, morning stiffness, etc., are some more symptoms that have been reported by patients Polymyositis It is one of the common forms of myopathy. It is characterized by its ill effects on the connective tissues. People between 30s and 50s have been found to be more vulnerable to contract this inflammatory muscle disease. The disease is more prevalent in women than in men. The polymyositis symptoms to be watched out for include: ☛ Tenderness in the affected muscles or in the joints ☛ Difficulty in eating and drinking ☛ Fatigue, which might be accompanied by shortness of breath ☛ Speech problems Chronic Compartment Syndrome One of the common neuromuscular diseases is the chronic compartment syndrome. This is a rare condition that is known to be exercise-induced, and affects the muscles of the limbs. That is why it is more common in athletes who are indulged in sports that involve repetitive movements. Main signs and symptoms include: ☛ Pain in the affected limb which may also have a feeling of tightness, and burning sensation ☛ There might be weakness in the affected area, which sometimes, may be worsened by swelling ☛ It is important to take a note of the fact that the pain caused by this disease begins soon after the person starts exercising, and keeps aggravating if the exercise is continued. The pain usually ceases about 15 - 30 minutes after the person has stopped exercising, but with time it may take a day or two for the pain to subside Isaac's Syndrome One of the rarest kinds of muscle diseases, is the Issac's syndrome. It is a neuromuscular disorder, whose important symptoms are: ☛ Contracting or twitching muscles (continuously) ☛ Cramping ☛ Excessive perspiration ☛ Weakened reflexes ☛ Delayed muscle relaxation ☛ Stiffness in limbs and trunk ☛ Speech and breathing problems Rhabdomyolysis Another rare kind of muscle disease which causes the breakdown of muscle cells is what is known as rhabdomyolysis. This process results in the release of muscle fiber contents in the circulation, which gives rise to a number of symptoms such as: ☛ Intense pain that radiates throughout the entire body ☛ Weakness in the muscles of different parts of the body ☛ Urine color may be dark or cola-colored ☛ Symptoms of kidney damage Muscular Dystrophy (MD) Here, the muscle fibers in the body, somehow, stay at a high risk of damage. Muscular dystrophy is actually known to be a group of diseases of the muscles that are inherited. The voluntary muscles tend to be the most vulnerable type to get affected by this condition. Some types of this group also affect the heart muscles, and other involuntary muscles. The general symptoms are: ☛ Loss of balance or coordination ☛ Muscle weakness ☛ Crippling The major forms of MD are as follows:

• Becker
• Congenital
• Distal
• Duchenne
• Emery-Dreifuss
• Facioscapulohumeral
• Limb-girdle
• Myotonic
• Oculopharyngeal

Kennedy's Disease This condition only affects men. It is an inherited condition, and causes a gradual break down of muscles. The common symptoms include: ☛ Muscle cramps ☛ Tremors ☛ Difficulty in swallowing food and drinks ☛ Difficulty in speaking ☛ Low sperm count, breast development, and impotency ☛ Shrunken testicles ☛ Numbness that stays localized As it can be inferred from the symptoms, the conditions may severely affect the health of the affected person. So paying heed to the symptoms, and discussing them with a medical expert, can keep things from getting ugly and sometimes, even fatal. Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.