Weakness in the legs occurs as a ensue of a decrease or loss of force in any of the muscles or muscle groups complicated in the movement of the legs. The most base causes of leg infirmity are due to spinal cord/nerve compression or injury in the region of the lower back and comprise traumatic spinal cord injuries, scoliosis, intervertebral disc prolapse, nerve impingement, tumours, infections, and so on. Skeletal muscle movement is controlled by nerves originating from the brain but these nerves are not continuous all the way to the muscles.
There is, normally, a relay in the spinal cord, where the nerves from the brain communicate with the nerves that nothing else but reach the muscles. For the leg muscles, this nerve relay occurs in the lower section of the spinal cord in the lower back, so problems affecting the spinal cord and nerves in the region of the lower back can cause infirmity in the leg muscles. These nerves, however, do not only control movement but also carry fibres that control sensation, urination, defecation and erection (in males), so it is not unusual for leg infirmity to be associated with problems with these other functions.
Other causes of muscle infirmity comprise stroke, meningitis, polio, diabetic neuropathy, many sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, electrolyte imbalance, metabolic disorders, nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune disorders, malignancies, toxins (e.g. Botulism), poisoning (e.g. Organophosphates), connective tissue disorders, myasthenia gravis, thyrotoxicosis, drugs and so on (the list is endless really). Most of these other inherent causes, however, will cause a more generalized muscle weakness, rather than infirmity restricted to the legs alone. Stroke, however, tends to cause muscle infirmity on one half of the body, rather than affecting both legs, for instance it could cause infirmity on the right arm and leg with infirmity on the left side of the face or infirmity on the left arm and leg with infirmity on the right side of the face.
Treatment of leg weakness, obviously, depends on the cause, but may comprise medications, surgery, physiotherapy and other exact and supportive therapies. However, please note that nerves, unlike most tissues in the body, have a very low capacity to heal. So if the leg infirmity is due to nerve damage and depending on the extent of the damage, the individual may not be able to secure full force in the legs. I'm not, in any way, implying that the individual doesn't need rehabilitation by this please, quite the contrary. The aim of rehabilitation may be to halt or slow down the progress of whatever is causing the problem, and also to forestall complications that may arise from inactivity and disuse of the legs. On a more optimistic note, however, in some cases where the infirmity is caused by spinal cord or nerve compression, surgery aimed at relieving the compression coupled with physiotherapy may restore full strength; but note that surgery has its own risks as well, including the possibility of causing unblemished paralysis.
Diabetic Nerve Pain:Leg Weakness, Causes And rehabilitation
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