Weakness
Alternate Names : Lack of strength, Muscle weakness
Home Care & Treatment
Follow prescribed therapy for treating the underlying cause of the weakness.
Call your Health Care Provider if
Call your doctor if you have: - Prolonged, unexplained weakness
- Sudden weakness, particularly when it is in one area and not accompanied by other complaints, such as fever
- Sudden weakness following a viral illness
- Weakness in one area of the body
What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office
The doctor will examine you and ask questions about your medical history and symptoms, such as: - Time pattern
- When did the weakness begin?
- Did it begin with an illness or injury?
- Did it occur suddenly or gradually?
- Is the weakness worse in the morning or at night?
- Is the weakness noticed only after strenuous activity or exercise?
- Did it start following a typical viral illness, such as a cold?
- Did it start after a vaccination?
- Quality
- Is the weakness constant or does it come and go, sometimes effecting different parts of your body?
- Does the weakness affect breathing?
- Does it affect talking, chewing, or swallowing?
- Does it affect walking, climbing stairs, sitting, getting up?
- Does it affect use of the hands, arms, or shoulders?
- Is there pain with the weakness?
- Is there numbness or tingling with the weakness?
- Location
- Is the weakness limited to a specific area?
- Has the area of weakness increased or decreased?
- Aggravating factors
- What makes the weakness worse?
- Relieving factors
- Does anything help relieve the weakness?
- Other symptoms
- What other symptoms do you have?
- Additional important information
- What medications do you take?
- Do you have any allergies?
Physical examination may include special attention paid to examination of heart, lungs, and thyroid gland. If there is a local area of weakness, the examination will focus on the nerve and muscle functions. Diagnostic tests that may be done include:
|
Previous
