Muscle atrophy is defined as which of the following?

Muscle atrophy is defined as which of the following?

• A. Gain of muscle mass
• B. Loss of muscle tone
• C. Increased muscle strength
• D. Twitching only

Answer: (B)

Muscle atrophy means the muscle is shrinking in size because the muscle fibers lose mass or number when they’re not used, or due to aging or illness. This loss of size reduces the overall muscle mass and typically lowers strength. It’s the opposite of building muscle (hypertrophy), and it’s not about increased strength or twitching. The term tone refers to a baseline level of muscle tension, which is a different aspect from muscle size. So the key idea is a decrease in muscle size leading to weaker muscle.

Muscle atrophy means the muscle is shrinking in size because the muscle fibers lose mass or number when they’re not used, or due to aging or illness. This loss of size reduces the overall muscle mass and typically lowers strength. It’s the opposite of building muscle (hypertrophy), and it’s not about increased strength or twitching. The term tone refers to a baseline level of muscle tension, which is a different aspect from muscle size. So the key idea is a decrease in muscle size leading to weaker muscle.