Muscle atrophy

Atrophy is "a decrease in size or wasting away of a body part", e.g. muscle wasting or progressive decline.

Muscle atrophy is commonly referred to as muscle wasting and causes severe muscle weakness and reduced range of movement.

Possible causes
Muscle atrophy can be caused by a number of diseases and health conditions including neurological diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, stroke, by lack of use (which may be involuntary), malnutrition, burns, and other causes.

Bed-rest induced muscle disuse
A person who is bedbound or bedridden will be very inactive, and over time is likely to experience muscle atrophy due to lack of use of muscles. The resulting muscle atrophy will then make it harder to move.

Learn more

 * Muscle atrophy - MedlinePlus