What Is Alcoholic Myopathy?

As a long-term drinker, you might be familiar with experiencing a form of muscle weakness without knowing it’s called alcoholic myopathy, a condition where alcohol interferes with muscle function. Myopathy refers to any disease or disorder that affects muscles, causing weakness, stiffness, or other symptoms. This blog article presented by Headwaters will delve into how chronic alcoholism can lead to myopathy, impacting everyday activities and your quality of life.

Myopathies encompass a diverse range of disorders that primarily impact skeletal muscle structure, metabolism, or channel function. They often result in muscle weakness that interferes with daily activities. Additionally, individuals with myopathies commonly experience muscle pain as a prominent symptom of the condition.

What is a Myopathy?

Muscular Dystrophy is a well-known form of myopathy. A myopathy is a broad term used to describe any disorder or disease that affects the muscles, particularly the skeletal muscles. These conditions can vary widely in their causes and manifestations, but they typically involve abnormalities in muscle structure, metabolism, or function. Common symptoms of myopathies include muscle weakness, fatigue, stiffness, and pain. Genetic factors, autoimmune diseases, infections, medications, or environmental factors can also cause myopathies.

What is an Alcoholic Myopathy?

Alcoholic myopathy is defined as muscle weakening and loss caused by unusual muscle tissue breakdown, which leads to muscular degeneration and dysfunction that affects numerous physical processes, either acutely or persistently. A complete medical and family history examination, bloodwork to rule out other probable causes, and muscle strength tests, which may include electromyography and muscle biopsy, are all part of the diagnostic process. Between 40% and 60% of those with chronic alcohol use disorder develop alcoholic myopathy, with alcohol playing a significant role. Binge drinking often causes acute myopathy, but chronic myopathy is caused by long-term high alcohol intake, as alcohol and its metabolites are toxic to muscles and the nervous system, causing tissue breakdown.

Acute Alcoholic Myopathy

Binge drinking is frequently associated with acute alcohol-induced myopathy, which carries a substantial danger, particularly for prominent individuals. In addition to high alcohol intake, other factors that may increase vulnerability to this syndrome include fasting and calorie restriction. Acute alcohol-related myopathy mainly affects the core muscles; symptoms such as pain, weakness, soreness, and swelling develop quickly over hours to days and frequently manifest as rhabdomyolysis. Recovery from acute alcoholic myopathy usually takes one to two weeks when abstinence is followed. It’s crucial to remember that this type of myopathy can also present with acute liver injury and congestive heart failure symptoms, which emphasizes the significance of close health monitoring.

Chronic Alcoholic Myopathy

Compared to its acute counterpart, chronic alcohol-induced myopathy is more common and is strongly associated with lifetime use of alcohol. It primarily affects people between the ages of 40 and 60, including prominent executives. This illness frequently coexists with other alcohol-related organ dysfunctions; patients with alcohol-related cardiomyopathy and liver cirrhosis have a notable frequency of this ailment. Additionally, people who suffer from long-term alcohol-induced myopathy may be more vulnerable to acute episodes of alcoholic skeletal myopathy, which can cause a crippling loss of skeletal muscle strength and function. Proactive steps to address alcohol intake and related health issues are essential for executives and high-profile persons due to the possible impact alcohol consumption has on health and performance.

Common Symptoms of Alcoholic Myopathy

Acute and chronic alcoholic myopathy can cause a variety of symptoms. Symptoms of acute myopathy can include cramping, dark urine, weakness, soreness, and discomfort in the afflicted muscles, usually in the extremities. Severe cases can also result in kidney failure. On the other hand, irregular walking, dark urine, muscular wasting, tightness, and twitching, as well as a progressive weakness in the muscles surrounding the shoulders and pelvis over weeks or months, can all be signs of chronic myopathy. Although most cases of chronic myopathy are mild, some people may get cramping in their muscles. Executives need to be aware of these signs and prioritize their health by getting the proper care and changing their way of living.

Confidential Help Available at Headwaters

For an individual starting their recuperation process and dealing with myopathy, prompt medical attention is a crucial element. At Headwaters, we recognize that in order to provide complete care, it is critical to treat any coexisting medical issues, such as alcoholic myopathy, in addition to addiction. Headwaters is able to offer individualized treatment plans that cater to the mental, medical, and spiritual requirements of each client. Furthermore, we place a strong priority on the privacy and confidentiality of each and every one of our clients. Strict procedures are in place to protect their identity and free them up to concentrate only on their recovery process.

Tour Headwaters
Hanley Foundation’s Headwaters is a non-profit addiction treatment program for executives, public figures, other affluent individuals, and their loved ones. Headwaters offers leading-edge, personalized clinical care for mental health and substance use disorders, and our professional and compassionate staff can help you achieve holistic wellness. To start your healing journey, call 561-270-1753 today.