Muscle hypertrophy and atrophy physiology. Physiology of skeletal muscles, their structure and functions

Systematic intensive work of the muscle leads to an increase in the mass of muscle tissue. This phenomenon is called working muscle hypertrophy. The basis of hypertrophy is an increase in the mass of protoplasm muscle fibers, leading to their thickening. At the same time, the content of proteins and glycogen increases, as well as substances that supply energy used during muscle contraction - adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate.

Apparently, in this regard, the strength and speed of contraction of the hypertrophied muscle is higher than that of the non-hypertrophied one.

Weight gain muscle tissue in trained people, in whom many muscles are hypertrophied, leads to the fact that the body musculature can account for 50% of body weight (instead of the usual 35-40%).

Hypertrophy develops if a person performs muscle work every day for a long time that requires a lot of tension (strength load). Muscle work produced without much effort, even if it continues for a very long time, to muscle hypertrophy does not lead.

The opposite phenomenon to working hypertrophy is muscle atrophy from inactivity. It develops in all cases when a muscle for some reason loses the ability to perform its normal work. This happens, for example, when a limb is immobilized for a long time in a plaster cast, when the patient stays in bed for a long time, when a tendon is cut, as a result of which the muscle stops doing work against the load, etc.

With atrophy, the diameter of muscle fibers and the content of contractile proteins, glycogen, ATP and other substances important for contractile activity drop sharply.

When normal muscle function is resumed, atrophy gradually disappears.

Special view muscle atrophy observed during muscle denervation, i.e. after transection of its motor nerve.

Almost all body movements are associated with the simultaneous contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles on opposite sides of the joints, which is called coactivation of agonist and antagonist muscles. Coactivation is controlled by the motor centers of the brain and spinal cord.

Position of each part body, such as the arms or legs, is determined by the relative degrees of contraction of the agonist and antagonist muscle groups. Let's assume that the arm or leg should be in the middle position. To achieve this, agonist and antagonist muscles are excited to approximately the same extent. Remember that muscles contract with greater force when they lengthen than when they shorten: a muscle develops maximum contractile force at its full functional length and develops almost no force at half its original length. Therefore, a longer muscle on one side of a joint can contract with much greater force than a shorter muscle on the opposite side.

As arm or leg move in the direction of their average position, the contraction force is more longus muscle decreases, while the force of contraction is more brevis muscle increases until both forces become equal to each other. At this moment, the movement of the arm or leg stops. Thus, by changing the degree of activation of agonist and antagonist muscles nervous system controls the position of an arm or leg.

All muscles of the body are constantly are being reconstructed, adapting to their intended function. Their diameter, length, force developed, vascular supply, and even the types of muscle fibers (to a small extent) change. This reconstruction process is often completed quite quickly - within a few weeks. Animal experiments have shown that in some small, active muscles, contractile proteins can be replaced over a period as short as 2 weeks.
Muscle hypertrophy and atrophy. An increase in total muscle mass is called muscle hypertrophy, and a decrease is called muscle atrophy.

Muscle hypertrophy is almost always the result of an increase in the number of actin and myosin filaments in each muscle fiber, which leads to their enlargement. This is called simple fiber hypertrophy. The degree of hypertrophy increases significantly if the muscle is loaded during contraction. To develop significant hypertrophy, only a few strong contractions per day for 6-10 weeks are enough.

Mechanism The means by which forceful contraction leads to hypertrophy is unclear. It is known, however, that with the development of hypertrophy, the synthesis of muscle contractile proteins sharply accelerates. This contributes gradual increase the number of actin and myosin filaments in myofibrils, the number of which often increases to 50%. It was also noted that some myofibrils in hypertrophied muscle themselves split with the formation of new myofibrils, but the importance of this process in normal muscle hypertrophy still unknown.

Along with increasing the size myofibrils Enzyme energy-producing systems are also enhanced. This is especially pronounced in the enzymes for glycolysis, which provides rapid energy delivery during powerful short-term muscle contractions.

If in for many weeks the muscle is not used, the rate of breakdown of contractile proteins in its fibers becomes higher than the rate of their restoration. As a result, muscle atrophy develops.

Adjustment of muscle length. When muscles are stretched beyond their normal length, another type of hypertrophy develops. This leads to the addition of new sarcomeres at the ends of the muscle fibers where they attach to the tendons. It is known that in newly developing muscle new sarcomeres can be added very quickly - up to several sarcomeres per minute, which characterizes the possible speed of development of this type of hypertrophy. In contrast, if a muscle remains consistently shorter than normal length, the sarcomeres at the ends of the muscle fibers may actually disappear. Through these processes, muscles are continually remodeled to have the appropriate length for proper muscle contraction.

Hyperplasia of muscle fibers. When a muscle develops excessive contraction force (in rare cases), in addition to fiber hypertrophy, their absolute number also increases. This increase in the number of fibers is called hyperplasia. During this process, a linear splitting of the pre-enlarged fibers occurs.

If you have already tried to understand how muscles grow, then most likely you are already confused in incomprehensible terms, and many sources provide conflicting information.
I will try to explain in a simple and accessible form what is what - what types of muscle fibers exist, how they are “Turned On,” what types of hypertrophy exist, what kind of training can achieve muscle growth and what it depends on.

The structure of muscles is very complex, so we will greatly simplify it. The article was prepared specifically for beginners, we won’t dig deep.

The structure and composition of muscles.

It should be understood that muscles are made up of several components. Protein makes up only 20-25% of the total muscle mass. The rest is the muscle fiber supply system, which includes: glycogen (carbohydrate reserve), water, minerals, creatine phosphate, mitochondria (for energy production), capillaries, some fat in the form of intramuscular triglycerides, etc. that is, in fact, muscle 70-80% consist of water.

Types of hypertrophy.

Only if we are talking about muscle growth is it customary to use the term hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the muscle fibers themselves. There is also the term “Hyperplasia” - an increase in the number of muscle fibers, but we will not talk about that.
An interesting and very important point for us is that there are two types of hypertrophy:

Sarcoplasmic.
Myofibrillar.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the fibers themselves and their protein component. This is “True” muscle growth. To trigger this type of hypertrophy, it is necessary to create a powerful stimulus of great effort (strength training. Protein synthesis is a rather energy-intensive process, so it is very important not only to create a stimulus with strength training, but also to properly organize nutrition.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is an increase in the volume of everything else that makes up muscle: glycogen, water, minerals, etc. The main stimulus is the depletion of these energy resources (especially glycogen. This forces the cell to replenish glycogen (and therefore water, since glycogen is stored in the body in a "Wet" form, retaining 3-4 g of water for every gram) and replenish them in excess, so that the muscles appear larger. Regular high-repetition training also helps to increase the capillary network, mitochondria and all other non-contractile elements, which further visually increase. muscle size.

Types of muscle fibers.

There are two main types of muscle fibers - type I fibers and type II fibers (often intermediate types of fibers are also distinguished, but we will simplify.

Type I fibers are called slow muscle fibers (SMF) or red fibers, type II fibers are called fast muscle fibers (SFM) or white fibers.

But it is worth understanding that the very words "fast" and "slow" fibers refer to the speed at which muscle fibers can generate force. MMV contract in 0.1 second, and BMW in 0.05. But this does not mean at all that the speed of the exercise affects which fibers will be included in the work. That is why the terms BMW and MMV bring confusion and misunderstanding of the very essence of the work of the muscular system.

The classification into slow and fast fibers is based on the activity of atphase (an enzyme necessary for muscle contraction. The higher the activity, the more powerful the contraction. slow fibers the speed of atphase is much lower, that's all.

Fibers also differ in the type of energy supply: oxidative and glycolytic. Oxidative - means that it works through the oxidation of fatty acids and glucose and requires oxygen for their work, and glycolytic works on anaerobic (without access to oxygen) glycolysis. Oxidative fibers are more durable and least strong, while glycolytic fibers have an extremely short duration of work (about a minute), but have the greatest power and contractile force.

Motor units.

In general, muscles are not tensed by specific individual fibers. Muscular system uses so-called motor units(de) - several muscle fibers that are innervated by one motor neuron. Accordingly, the division of de into high-threshold motor units (hmpd) and low-threshold motor units (nmpd) is accepted. They also correspond to bmw and mmv.

NPDs have a motor neuron with a small cell body that innervates from 300 to 800 muscle fibers. NPDs have a low activation threshold, so they are the first to start working.

Vpd are innervated by motor neurons that have big body and have high input impedance, so they are the last to be activated.

As effort develops from weak to strong, a stable order of recruitment (“Inclusion”) is observed: first npde --.

Sarcoplasmic muscle hypertrophy. Not all muscles are the same

One of the main problems in training strength athletes (American football players, baseball players, basketball players, wrestlers and even powerlifters), in my opinion, is too much emphasis on exercises with 10-15 repetitions per set. This kind of training has a place in terms of training athletes, but it needs to be given less attention. For example, linemen (in American football, these are the big guys who stand on the line and have to break/prevent players from breaking through) need to bulk up so they don't get kicked all over the field. A “bodybuilding” approach with high reps can be very helpful throughout the season to prevent loss. muscle mass, as well as to restore lost mass after the end of the playing season. There is also scientific evidence that large muscles In the future, it will be easier to become strong if you start training for strength indicators. The main thing to remember is that this type of hypertrophy has nothing to do with explosive strength and movements such as punching, running, throwing, jumping or maximizing force in one movement. This is why bodybuilders who work primarily on type IIA fibers and gain growth in the non-contractile components of muscle (sarcoplasmic volume, capillary density and mitochondrial growth) are not the fastest and strong athletes in the world. And this despite the fact that on average they more muscles than any other athletes! I believe that in this kind of hypertrophy, form trumps function.

Muscle hypertrophy is an increase in muscle mass, as well as its cross-sectional area. This occurs when there is an overload that increases rapidly. The heart and skeletal muscles can become accustomed to an ever-increasing workload. Muscle cells become more efficient at transmitting force through the tendons to the bones. The overall picture of this process is very complex and has not yet been fully studied by doctors.

In muscle hypertrophy, muscle mass and cross-sectional area occurs due to an increase in the size of individual muscle fibers, while their length remains the same.

Each skeletal muscle performs two functions: contracting (to move the body), stabilizing (to maintain position). It can contract with varying amounts of tension to do the job. During hypertrophy, a muscle undergoes various variable stresses, which forces it to adapt. It does this by increasing the size as well as the number of contractile proteins that make up the myofibrils within each fiber. This helps increase individual fibers and their strength.

Hypertrophy changes:

speed of muscle contraction;
maximum work force;
resistance to fatigue.

The nature of adaptation may vary depending on different systems response to loads.

Hypertrophy can be called a combination of local and peripheral events that are coordinated with each other. The main regulatory signals for them are mechanical, hormonal, nervous and metabolic factors.

Types of hypertrophy

Main types of hypertrophy:

myofibrillar (when muscles increase due to growth and an increase in the number of myofibrils. They fit more tightly into the fiber. More often, this type of hypertrophy occurs with fast type IIB fibers).
sarcoplasmic (when muscles increase due to an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, that is, the part that does not contract. The number of mitochondria, glycogen, creatine phosphate, etc. increases in the fibers. More often this type occurs with slow muscles of type I, as well as fast oxidative type IIA).

Mechanisms of hypertrophy

Scientists have put forward several theories that explain the mechanisms of myofibrillar hypertrophy. These include hypotheses:

Acidosis;
Hypoxia;
Mechanical damage.

The acidosis hypothesis states that the primary stimulus that initiates the process of hypertrophy is the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle. It damages the sarcolemma of muscle fibers and organelle membranes. At the same time, calcium ions appear in the fiber, which activate proteolytic enzymes that break down proteins.

The hypoxia hypothesis suggests that the main reason is a lack of oxygen for some time. This happens if you train with heavy weights. Lack of oxygen, and then active saturation with it, damages the membranes of the fibers, which entails saturation with calcium ions, etc.

The mechanical damage hypothesis suggests that main factor- This is damage to contractile proteins that occurs when the muscle is severely tense.

Male hormones androgens play a major role in muscle growth. Women also produce them, but to a lesser extent. The more of these hormones the body produces, the faster muscles grow.

Hypertrophy factors

There are a few mandatory conditions, without which this process cannot begin:

synthesis of contractile proteins;
ribonucleic acid;
hyperplasia (increase in the number of fibers);
androgenic anabolic steroids.

Degree rating

The degree of hypertrophy can be assessed by measuring its mass and volume. These days, this can be done using a CT scan or MRI. The specialist should evaluate the change in the maximum cross-sectional value of the muscle.

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Type of workout

Functional hypertrophy of human skeletal muscle depends on the type of training, which also affects the functioning of either type I or II fibers. This leads to a simple conclusion - light low-intensity training with own weight will include type I in the majority of work, as a result of which the cross-sectional area of the muscle remains virtually unchanged. Strength, speed training with large scales includes type II, which significantly increase the cross-sectional area.

In addition, there are two types of hypertrophy:

Myofibrillar;
Sarcoplasmic.

In order not to go into details of the structure, we will simply clarify that sarcoplasm is the liquid content around the fibers, myofibrils are thin threads running along the muscle fiber. The difference can be seen more clearly in the picture.

So this is what it looks like muscle growth The type of training also influences. Low-intensity long-term training leads to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, i.e. increase the volume of sarcoplasm, in which the amount of glycogen and creatine phosphate increases. This increases endurance and allows you to make your next workout longer. For example, hypertrophy occurs in long-distance runners. Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs under the influence of strength training and leads to an increase in the myofibrils themselves and, accordingly, in the cross-sectional area.

However, neither the first nor the second is found in its pure form. There is always a mixed type. But in strength training The second predominates, in aerobic - the first.

There are two types of muscle hypertrophy - true and false. False muscle hypertrophy is a negative process when an external increase in muscle mass occurs due to an increase in fat layer, obesity.

True muscle hypertrophy is the result that fans of strength sports strive for, characterized by an increase in muscle cells and muscle volume - both in general and individual muscle groups.

Such muscle growth is of two types - myofibrillar and antispasmodic.

Knowledge is a tool to achieve results. Information about what hypertrophy is and how to use the biological process to improve the body will allow you to achieve high performance, acquire excellent muscles, both in classes gyms, and during independent training at home.

Myofibrillar type

Hypertrophy of myofibrillar type muscles, characterized by dry muscles, is achieved by increasing the number, size and density of the myofibrils that make up the contractile tissue.

Increase in such muscle structures Helps increase strength and power. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is used in powerlifting, weightlifting and arm wrestling.

The myofibrillar type of muscle hypertrophy is characteristic of fast fibers that perform high-speed actions, are powerful, “explosive” but quickly tire.

When performing exercises aimed at turning on the mechanism of this type of hypertrophy, the muscles must be given rest between the approaches performed, lasting from 1 to 3 minutes.

For muscle growth according to the myofibrillar type, it is recommended to train with sports equipment heavy weight and low repetitions. The duration of the workout, as a rule, does not exceed an hour and is structured so that the muscle groups receive rest for.

In order for the muscles not to adapt to the loads, the training plan must include training with an increase in the number of approaches, using lighter sports equipment.

Sarcoplasmic type

Sarcoplasmic muscle hypertrophy, which is characterized by bulky but less dense muscles, is achieved by increasing the nutrient fluid surrounding the muscle fibers.

Muscle growth occurs due to metabolic reactions occurring in muscle cells and the thickening of the capillary network of muscles that occurs during exercise.

Muscle hypertrophy of the sarcoplasmic type involves slow, low-speed muscle fibers capable of performing long movements. Quite insignificant, but it increases general endurance and muscle relief.

This type of training is performed with light to medium weight sports equipment and can last from one and a half to two hours. The exercises are carried out at a high pace, using a relatively large number of approaches (up to 12) and short rest between repetitions.

For muscle growth, their beneficial, true hypertrophy, there are certain recommendations:

Using two types of loads when performing the exercise - with high and low repetitions.
Periodic change of training programs. As a rule, one training program completed within no more than two months.
Constructing training according to an accented type, aimed at one muscle group.
Gradual increase in the weight of sports equipment.
A prerequisite for muscle growth is high-quality nutrition, which should not only be high in calories, but also contain required amount proteins, fats, vitamins and beneficial minerals.

Performance simple conditions will allow you to develop high-quality muscles without the problems of unnecessary overload and with pleasure.

What is Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?

Myofibrillar hypertrophy of muscle fibers is an increase in the volume of muscle fibers due to an increase in the volume of myofibrils. ... Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy of muscle fibers is an increase in the volume of muscle fibers due to a predominant increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, i.e., their non-contractile part.

The etiological factors in these patients were: unilateral type of chewing, trauma during sports competitions, boxing. For some, this disease began gradually, imperceptibly, and the clenching of the jaws gradually increased. For the final diagnosis of patients, we apply a layer of barium to the area of the convex hypertrophied muscle and perform X-ray cinematography in a direct projection, g.s. full face, and the patient was asked to clench and unclench his teeth. With muscle hypertrophy, the swelling of the cheek increases sharply when squeezed and noticeably decreases when the jaws unclench.
For this pathology, a plastic mass mouthguard was made for the entire dentition of the lower jaw with an increase in the bite by 3.0 mm. Muscle relaxants (Mydocalm. Sonapax) were prescribed under the control of electromyography. Selective electromyostimulation of weakened muscle groups was carried out, and the patient was recommended to eat on the opposite side.

Rice. 118. Patient K., 45 years old. Diagnosis: parafunction of the muscles that lift the mandible, occlusal-articulatory dysfunctional syndrome of the TMJ.
A - generalized increased wear of the teeth of the lower jaw is noted.
B - increased abrasion of the upper frontal teeth.
B - patient after dental prosthetics with the creation of tight fissure-tubercle contact of all teeth. Explanation in the text.
Treatment of patients with unilateral hypertonicity of the lateral pterygoid muscle
At the beginning of treatment, during the month, patients were prescribed myogymnastics with moving the lower jaw to the midline of the lip and even slightly more. In this position of the jaw, patients made vertical movements 3 times a day for 15 minutes for

x weeks. Then an apparatus with a lateral inclined plane was manufactured. Treatment was carried out for 4-5 months.

In addition to orthopedic treatment, patients were prescribed massage in the area of the temporal and chewing muscles. Electrophoresis with a 5% solution of potassium iodide in the TMJ area. After treatment, all pathological symptoms were eliminated. The movements of the lower jaw became smooth, without moving to the side.
Patients with bruxism and lateral shift of other etiologies were treated with a plate with an occlusal overlay and an inclined plane.

Working muscle hypertrophy and atrophy from inactivity

Systematic intensive work of the muscle leads to an increase in the mass of muscle tissue. This phenomenon is called working muscle hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is based on an increase in the mass of protoplasm of muscle fibers, leading to their thickening. At the same time, the content of proteins and glycogen increases, as well as substances that supply energy used during muscle contraction - adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate.

Apparently, in this regard, the strength and speed of contraction of the hypertrophied muscle is higher than that of the non-hypertrophied one.

The increase in muscle mass in trained people, in whom many muscles are hypertrophied, leads to the fact that body musculature can account for 50% of body weight (instead of the usual 35-40%).

Hypertrophy develops if a person performs muscle work every day for a long time that requires a lot of tension (strength load). Muscular work done without much effort, even if it lasts for a very long time, does not lead to muscle hypertrophy.

The opposite phenomenon to working hypertrophy is muscle atrophy from inactivity. It develops in all cases when a muscle for some reason loses the ability to perform its normal work. This happens, for example, when a limb is immobilized for a long time in a plaster cast, when the patient stays in bed for a long time, when a tendon is cut, as a result of which the muscle stops doing work against the load, etc.

With atrophy, the diameter of muscle fibers and the content of contractile proteins, glycogen, ATP and other substances important for contractile activity drop sharply.

When normal muscle function is resumed, atrophy gradually disappears.

A special type of muscle atrophy is observed when a muscle is denervated, that is, after its motor nerve is cut.

What is cardiac hypertrophy?

HEART HYPERTROPHY - an increase in the volume of the heart muscle due to thickening of the wall of the ventricles (muscle fibers thicken and the size of their nuclei increases). ... In athletes, the muscle of the left and, to a lesser extent, the right ventricle of the heart hypertrophies.

Hypertrophy of human skeletal muscles. INTRODUCTION

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is an adaptation of human skeletal muscles to power loads with directionality training process to increase their volume or strength. It has been established that with this type of hypertrophy, the number and volume of myofibrils, the main elements of muscle fiber, increase.

The purpose of the study was to develop a concept describing the mechanisms of myofibrillar hypertrophy of human skeletal muscles under the influence of force-oriented loads.

This is muscle atrophy. Causes of muscle atrophy

Primary muscle atrophy is caused by damage to the muscle itself. The cause of the disease in this case may be unfavorable heredity, which is expressed in metabolic disorders in the form of a congenital defect of muscle enzymes or high permeability of cell membranes. Factors also have a significant impact external environment, provoking the onset of the pathological process. These include physical stress, infection, and injury. Primary muscle atrophy is most pronounced in myopathy.

The cause of muscle atrophy can be injury to the nerve trunks, an infectious process that occurs with damage to the motor cells of the spinal cord, such as polio and polio-like diseases.

Sometimes the pathological process is hereditary. In this case, the distal parts of the limbs are affected, and the process itself proceeds more slowly and is benign.

The etiology of the disease includes the following factors: malignant tumors, paralysis of the spinal cord or peripheral nerves. Often, muscle atrophy develops against the background of various injuries, starvation, intoxication, as a result of a slowdown in metabolic processes as the body ages, prolonged motor inactivity for any reason, as a consequence of chronic diseases.

If the spinal cord and large nerve trunks are affected, neuropathic muscle atrophy develops. When thrombosis of large vessels or disruption of blood flow in muscle tissue as a result of mechanical or pathological damage, the ischemic form develops. The cause of the functional form is absolute, often partial motor inactivity due to pathological processes in the body - arthritis. polio and polio-like diseases.

Systematic intense muscle work leads to an increase in muscle mass. This phenomenon is called working muscle hypertrophy. Working muscle hypertrophy occurs partly due to longitudinal splitting, and mainly due to thickening (increasing diameter) of muscle fibers.

There are two main types of working hypertrophy of muscle fibers. First type - sarcoplasmic- thickening of muscle fibers due to a predominant increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, that is, the non-contractile part of the muscle fibers. This type of hypertrophy leads to an increase in the metabolic reserves of the muscle: glycogen, nitrogen-free substances, creatine phosphate, myoglobin, etc. A significant increase in the number of capillaries as a result of training can also to some extent cause muscle thickening. The first type of working hypertrophy has little effect on the growth of muscle strength, but it significantly increases their ability to work for long periods of time, that is, endurance.

The second type of working hypertrophy is myofibrillar- is associated with an increase in the volume of myofibrils, that is, the actual contractile apparatus of muscle fibers. In this case, the muscle diameter may not increase very significantly, since the packing density of myofibrils in the muscle fiber mainly increases. The second type of working hypertrophy leads to a significant increase in maximum muscle strength. The absolute strength of the muscle also increases significantly, whereas with the first type of working hypertrophy it either does not change at all or even decreases slightly.

The predominant development of the first or second type of working hypertrophy is determined by the nature of muscle training. It is likely that long-term dynamic exercises with a relatively small load cause working hypertrophy mainly of the first type (a predominant increase in the volume of sarcoplasm rather than myofibrils). Isometric exercises using large muscle tensions (more than 2/3 of the maximum voluntary strength of the trained muscle groups), on the contrary, contribute to the development of working hypertrophy of the second type (myofibrillar hypertrophy).

The basis of working hypertrophy is the intensive synthesis of muscle proteins, DNA and RNA. Hormones play a very important role in regulating the volume of muscle mass - androgens.

In trained people, in whom many muscles are hypertrophied, muscles can account for up to 50% of body weight (instead of 35-40% normally).

The opposite of working hypertrophy is the condition muscle atrophy from inactivity. It develops in all cases when a muscle for some reason does not perform normal work for a long time. This is observed, for example, when a limb is immobilized in a plaster cast, the patient stays in bed for a long time, or a tendon is cut, as a result of which the muscle stops doing work.

With atrophy, the diameter of muscle fibers and the content of contractile proteins, glycogen, ATP and other substances important for contractile activity decrease. After normal function is resumed, muscle atrophy gradually disappears.

The appearance of pain in the buttocks is caused by diseases of the spine, internal organs and pelvic ring. Each pathology is characterized by certain symptoms, so it is worth understanding how atrophy, hypertrophy and dystrophy manifest themselves gluteal muscles.

Forms of the disease and characteristic symptoms

It is important to understand the differences between muscle atrophy, dystrophy and hypertrophy. The concepts have a lot of differences:

Atrophy refers to processes that lead to muscle thinning and loss of functionality. Many hereditary diseases, as well as minimal muscle activity, lead to pathology.
Dystrophy - the concept describes a group of hereditary diseases that lead to necrosis of muscle fibers. They affect skeletal muscles. As a result of the development of diseases, weakness and degeneration of fibers occurs.
Hypertrophy. It appears when the volume of muscle fibers increases. The muscles noticeably increase in volume and gain strength. This condition is typical for healthy people. Pathological muscle enlargement is called pseudohypertrophy or false hypertrophy. In fact, such diseases are classified as dystrophic.

Thus, myodystrophy (disease) can lead to atrophy (the process of death of muscle fibers).

The symptoms of various pathologies of the buttock muscles are similar in many cases. The muscles of the lower back weaken and lose functionality. The gait becomes unnatural; it is also called a “duck walk.” Visually, the buttocks become smaller and lose their natural round shape. With dystrophic changes in the muscles, they can increase, but not due to the growth of fibers, but as a result of fat deposition and the proliferation of connective tissue. After 5-8 years, the patient may be completely immobilized.

Common dystrophic changes in muscles are typical for boys, since hereditary diseases affect the male sex chromosome (Duchenne and Becker dystrophy). There are several types of hereditary dystrophic diseases that are characteristic of both sexes.

Causes of pathologies of the gluteal muscles

Atrophy of the gluteus maximus muscle is often a consequence of injuries and neurological diseases. The patient loses motor ability partially or completely. In most cases, the disease is hereditary. Muscle tissue contracts in volume and becomes thinner, then is replaced by fatty and connective tissue. In some cases it dies off completely.

Conservative treatment of fractures requires long-term immobilization, leading to muscle atrophy

Causes of hypotrophy of the gluteal muscles:

Primary atrophy is a violation of the supply of nerves to the muscle (innervation). Muscle tissue is damaged after excessive physical activity, injuries, neurological diseases. Nerve cells can be compressed by cancerous formations.
Secondary atrophy is a serious disease that results in the death of cells in the nerve trunk of the spinal cord. Develops as a result of arthrosis and arthritis, osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.
Forced inactivity of a person after strokes and paralysis.
Damage to the blood vessels supplying the buttocks: oxygen starvation of the muscles occurs and they die.
Chronic alcoholism and drug addiction.
Aging of the body.
Wrong diet choice. Prolonged fasting can provoke muscle atrophy, during which the body does not receive the necessary substances.

In children, atrophy of the gluteal muscles can be caused by polio, birth trauma, childhood stroke, back injury, and chronic inflammation of muscle tissue.

False hypertrophy of the gluteal muscles occurs when various types dystrophy (hereditary diseases). Genetically transmitted chromosome lesions cause disruption of the structure of muscle fibers, which leads to their disintegration.

Establishing diagnosis

When weakness appears in the muscles, you should immediately consult a doctor. Diagnosis of diseases of the gluteal muscles is carried out by neurologists and therapists. Atrophy is incurable and progresses rapidly if left untreated, so to improve the quality of life it is necessary to start therapy on time.

Typical muscle tissue disorders are diagnosed using the following methods:

electromyography;
blood tests;
checking the nerve patency of the muscles;
examination by an endocrinologist to monitor the thyroid gland;
muscle biopsy - prescribed in rare cases.

To make an accurate diagnosis, consultation with a specialist may be required.

Treatment methods

Atrophy is treated with vitamins B1, B12, E, as well as adenosine triphosphoric acid disodium salt, diabazole and proserine. In some cases, the patient is prescribed a blood transfusion and electric shock treatment. The full course of therapy is carried out over several months. After complex treatment, complete stabilization of the atrophy process is possible.

Patients are prescribed complex therapy, including physiotherapy (electrophoresis of phosphorus and calcium), gentle therapeutic physical culture and massage of the muscles of the buttocks - Actovegin medicinal ointment is used as a massage oil. Conservative treatment is carried out in courses over 3-4 weeks. The treatment interval is 1-2 months. Thanks to this treatment, muscle atrophy slows down, and the patient can remain functional for many years.

In case of dystrophy, the patient is injected with fetal stem cells, which helps slow down the pathological process. The patient is also prescribed corticosteroids, which are involved in the contraction of muscle fibers.

Treatment with folk remedies

Among the main folk remedies for muscle atrophy, it is worth highlighting calcium settings. It is prepared from 6 chicken eggs with white shells. The eggs are filled with the juice of 10 lemons. The mixture is left for several days in a closed glass jar, covered with gauze and wrapped in paper. The jar is placed in a dry, warm place until the shell is completely dissolved. The medicinal composition is prepared from the resulting mixture and 300 g of linden honey. A glass of cognac is also poured into the container. The substance is poured into a dark glass container and left in a cool place. After each meal (3 times a day), the patient consumes 1 tsp. medicines.

Another folk recipe for combating atrophy is based on the use of reed panicles, which can be collected near water bodies from October to March. Before using the plants, take 2 bunches of panicles and pour boiling water for 45 minutes. Then the water is drained. The affected muscles are covered with reeds, securing parts of the plants with gauze bandages, creating a compress. When the compress cools down, the patient is given a massage of the legs and the affected area.

Exercises

The course of exercise therapy should be agreed upon with your doctor and physiotherapist. The effectiveness of training can only be assessed with a complete understanding of the patient's condition. General sequence selection of exercises:

When recovering from muscle atrophy, patients are recommended to swim - this type physical activity allows you to increase tone atrophied muscles without straining them too much. Any exercises should be carried out under the supervision of a physical therapy specialist.
Walking in the pool. The patient walks along the bottom of the pool while waist-deep in water. The exercise lasts 10 minutes. Over time, the duration of walking and the depth of immersion increases.
Knee raises in the pool. During the exercise, lean your back against the wall.
After the muscles are stronger, you can begin exercises on the ground: bending, squats, lunges.

The patient undergoes a course of exercises under the supervision of a specialist so as not to overstrain the muscles and cause their condition to worsen.

Disability due to diseases of the gluteal muscles

There are many disability criteria by which the condition of a child with atrophy or dystrophy of the gluteal muscles is assessed:

Impairment of motor functions, which causes disability, impairment of the ability to move independently and maintain services.
Social impairment and partial impairment of life functions.
Impaired motor function of the limbs.

When assessing the health status of persons over 18 years of age, other ITU disability criteria for atrophy of the hip muscle are used:

Group 1 – inability to move and perform basic self-care activities;
Group 2 – limited ability to move, ability to work 2-3 degrees;
Group 3 – moderate atrophy, in which a person is entitled to reduced work time and reduced qualifications.

Disability is given indefinitely to patients who have a progressive course of the disease, as well as when rehabilitation measures are ineffective.