
Signs and Symptoms
Muscle weakness refers
to a loss or reduction of physical performance of one or more muscles. This can
occur due to many causes including disuse (deconditioning) of the muscle,
secondary to a loss of nerve signal to the muscle and as the result of muscle
disease or injury. If muscle weakness is accompanied by incoordination and/or
paresthesia it is usually the result some type of neurological compromise.
Muscle weakness can also be referred to as paresis. Chronic muscle weakness in
the pelvic and/or low back region secondary to deconditioning can result in a
loss of mechanical stability of the spine which places additional stress and
strain on spinal tissues which can lead to spinal segment dysfunction and pain
syndromes.