22/11/2025
Recovery of Pseudohypertrophy muscular dystrophy 🙏
Pseudohypertrophy is the false enlargement of a muscle due to the infiltration of fat and connective tissue, which replaces degenerated muscle fibers, resulting in a muscle that appears large but is actually weak. It is a key sign of certain neuromuscular diseases, most notably Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
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Muscular System – Human Biology
Denervation pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles Radiology ...
Characteristics of Pseudohypertrophy
Appearance vs. Strength: The muscle may look large or "hypertrophied" but is paradoxically weak on testing.
Texture: The affected muscles feel doughy or rubbery upon palpation, rather than firm as in true muscle hypertrophy (like in weightlifters).
Common Locations: It is most commonly observed in the calf muscles (gastrocnemius), but can also affect muscles in the thighs, buttocks, shoulders, deltoids, and temporalis.
Underlying Pathology: The condition arises from chronic muscle degeneration where normal muscle tissue is replaced by an excess of adipose (fat) and fibrous connective tissue.
Associated Conditions and Causes
Pseudohypertrophy is a clinical clue for diagnosing various neuromuscular disorders, including:
Muscular Dystrophies:
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): This is the most common cause, a severe X-linked recessive disorder that typically appears in early childhood and leads to progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
Becker Muscular Dystrophy: A less severe form of muscular dystrophy that also features pseudohypertrophy.
Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophies: A group of inherited conditions that cause symmetrical weakening of the voluntary muscles, sometimes presenting with calf pseudohypertrophy.
Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy and Myotonic Dystrophy.
Neurological Causes: Damage or disease affecting the nerves supplying the muscles can also lead to denervation pseudohypertrophy, as seen in cases of chronic radiculopathy (nerve root injury), poliomyelitis, or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
Other Rare Causes: Metabolic myopathies (e.g., Pompe disease), endocrine disorders, and parasitic muscle conditions have also been associated with this phenomenon.
Diagnosis typically involves a clinical and neurological exam, family history review, blood tests (e.g., elevated creatine kinase levels), and may include genetic testing or muscle biopsy to identify the underlying cause.
