What causes calf muscle atrophy?

Calf muscle atrophy is mainly caused by rhabdomyotrophy, and in severe cases it may cause lifelong disability in patients. There are also many people who don’t know what exactly causes calf muscle atrophy. In addition to malnutrition, many other reasons may cause calf muscle atrophy, such as motor nerve damage.

1. Malnutrition

Leg muscle atrophy refers to skeletal muscular dystrophy, in which the muscle volume is reduced compared to normal, and the muscle fibers become thinner or even disappear. Neuromuscular hypertrophy. In addition to pathological changes in muscle tissue itself, muscle nutritional status is closely related to the nervous system. Spinal cord disease often leads to muscular dystrophy and muscle atrophy.

2. Motor neuron damage

When any part of the lower motor neuron is damaged, the release of acetylcholine at its terminals decreases, the nutritional effect of the sympathetic nerves weakens, and muscle atrophy occurs.

Myogenic leg muscular dystrophy is caused by muscle disease itself and may also include some other factors. For example, patients with shoulder girdle or facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy may have spinal muscular dystrophy confirmed by morphological examination.

3. Virus Invasion

Some have suggested that damage to motor neurons may be similar to the result of polio virus invading motor neurons.

4. Toxic substances

For example, poisoning by heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn); stimulation by excessive activating amino acids and free radicals can cause the death of motor neurons.

5. Genetic factors

This type of patient accounts for approximately 5-10% of all motor neurone disease patients, but cannot explain the cause of sporadic patients.

6. Muscle degeneration

The reason for calf muscle atrophy is that due to lack of exercise or little exercise, the muscles rarely contract and then degenerate. Or it may be caused by lying in bed after an injury, with the muscles resting for a long time and not getting enough contraction exercise.