A muscle biopsy is performed to diagnose a variety of muscular and neuromuscular conditions, such as:
- Muscular Dystrophy: To determine the presence and type of muscular dystrophy, which is a group of genetic disorders that cause muscle weakness and degeneration.
- Inflammatory Myopathies: Such as polymyositis or dermatomyositis, where the immune system attacks muscle tissue.
- Metabolic Muscle Diseases: Conditions that affect the muscle’s ability to process energy, such as mitochondrial myopathy or glycogen storage diseases.
- Infections: To detect muscle infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
- Other Muscle Abnormalities: To investigate unexplained muscle pain, cramps, or weakness.