Asthenia

What is asthenia?

Asthenia is the medical term for a lack of physical strength. It can be a harmless and normal effect from an activity, or it can be a symptom of a medical condition.

Determining whether you have asthenia can be tricky, even for experienced healthcare providers. That’s because asthenia is similar to symptoms like fatigue (extreme tiredness) or paresis (a partial form of paralysis).

What are the most common causes of asthenia?

There are several ways that asthenia can happen:

• Exertion: If you use your muscles too much, they won’t have their usual strength until they have time to recover. It can also happen if you’re sleep-deprived or experiencing burnout.
• Injuries: You might not have full strength while your body heals from injuries like muscle strains.
• Lack of nutrition: Your muscles need nutrients to fuel them, or they won’t work properly.
• Muscle conditions: Your muscles may not have their usual strength if you have a condition, like some forms of myopathy, that affects how they work.
• Circulatory system disruptions: Your muscles can’t work properly without blood flow to provide oxygen.
• Nervous system disruptions: If something disrupts signals traveling from your brain to your muscles, it can reduce muscle function. Examples include nerve damage or even strokes.
• Short-term illnesses: Conditions like the flu or COVID-19 can sap your strength, causing physical weakness until you recover.
• Long-term (chronic) systemic conditions: When you have conditions that involve inflammation or fatigue, decreased strength can be one of the related effects. Chronic fatigue syndrome and myasthenia gravis are examples of this.
• Age-related muscle loss: Conditions like sarcopenia can contribute to issues like frailty.

How is asthenia treated?

The treatments for asthenia depend on several factors, especially the underlying cause. For some of these conditions, there are medications or treatments that may help. For others, you may benefit from physical or occupational therapy to strengthen your muscles. And in some cases, the best treatment is rest and giving your body time to recover.

Because there are many possible factors and treatments, your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you more about your case.

What can I do at home to treat asthenia?

If you’re experiencing asthenia and it’s likely from overuse, an injury or a short-term condition, you can self-treat it with rest. Usually, giving the affected body part(s) time to recover is all you’ll need. If your asthenia happens with simpler injuries or overuse, you can treat them with things like rest, ice, compression and elevation. A healthcare provider can tell you more about how long you should take to recover.

Can asthenia be prevented?

Some causes of asthenia are preventable, but many happen unpredictably. Some things you can do to reduce your risk of having it from preventable causes include:

• Try not to overdo strenuous activity. Avoiding overuse injuries can reduce your risk of having asthenia.
• Use protective and safety gear. Helmets, seat belts and other safety items can reduce your risk of injury-related asthenia.
• Eat a nutritious diet. Providing your body with the right nutrients can help you avoid nutrition-related asthenia.
• Protect against illnesses. Handwashing and vaccinations can lower your odds of asthenia from contagious conditions.
• Manage chronic conditions. Managing conditions that can cause asthenia may help. A healthcare professional can guide you on ways to reduce their impact.

When should this symptom be treated by a doctor or healthcare provider?

You should call or schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider if your asthenia doesn’t get better after more than a few days of rest. You should also call them or schedule an appointment if it happens repeatedly without an obvious cause.

Asthenia that starts and/or worsens suddenly needs emergency medical care. It also needs emergency care if it happens in connection with:

• Stroke or TIA symptoms
• Heart attack symptoms
• Shortness of breath of any kind
• Possible head or spinal cord injuries

What are the possible complications or risks of not treating it?

The complications of asthenia depend mainly on why it happens. In general, asthenia can make you prone to injuries because of decreased strength. But not treating asthenia from serious causes could lead to permanent or even life-threatening issues. So, when in doubt, it’s better to be proactive and seek care.