Muscle fatigue and weakness can be caused by overuse, disease, or infection. Fatigue is usually temporary, while weakness can indicate a muscle disease or misuse. Adequate rest, diet, and exercise can treat fatigue, while weakness may require medication or exercise. Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia can also cause muscle fatigue and weakness. Long-term weakness may indicate a serious condition and should be evaluated by a doctor.
Often, the difference between muscle fatigue and weakness involves overuse of a particular muscle group or a disease or infection involving the muscles. Fatigue and weakness both carry the same symptoms, so self-diagnosis and differentiation between the two can become difficult. During strenuous exercise, muscles may fatigue for a short time, but this is usually just a temporary side effect. Muscle group weakness that lasts for a longer period of time can sometimes mean muscle disease, or at the very least weakness that results from muscle group misuse.
When an individual participates in an intense exercise program that depletes particular muscle groups, such as in strength or endurance training, muscle fatigue and weakness can occur simultaneously. In individuals who exercise regularly, fatigue often lasts only for a short time, and long-term muscle weakness is rare. Both could last for a longer period in individuals who misuse muscle groups during exercise, and these side effects are often treated with adequate rest. It is often advised that an individual, regardless of fitness level, should not exercise the same muscle group every day.
Chronic muscle fatigue syndrome may also be a culprit in the link between the two, as this fatigue lasts for longer periods of time and isn’t relieved by rest alone. Fibromyalgia is a condition that includes severe muscle fatigue over time and often results in weakness in many different parts of the body. Muscle weakness, rather than fatigue, usually involves the temporary or long-term loss of function of a particular muscle group due to disease or infection. If muscle weakness extends for a long time, an individual should see a doctor, as this could be a symptom of a spinal cord injury or heart attack.
The differences in treatment between muscle fatigue and weakness vary greatly, but can also be related depending on the condition causing these symptoms. Usually, fatigue can be treated with adequate muscle rest, along with a healthy diet and gentle exercise program. Muscle weakness, on the other hand, can also be treated with rest, or if more severe or chronic, exercise and prescribed medications may be advised, especially if the condition is caused by a thyroid or hormonal disorder. Both of these conditions can often signal that a muscle disease, in response to a virus or infection, is attacking your muscles, making it important to address symptoms that continue for more than a few days.
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