Muscle twitching, otherwise called muscle fasciculation, is an involuntary contraction of muscles. The common causes of muscle twitching are dehydration, stress and anxiety, after physical activity, too much caffeine intake, cigarette smoking, nutritional deficiencies, and drug overdose. Muscle fasciculations are also seen in severe conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), damage to the nerves, muscular atrophy, etc.
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I have a twitching in my right leg and a weak bladder. Please assist.
Query: Hello doctor, Since eight months, I have been having twitching in my right leg and foot and extremely mild weakness combined with intermittent bladder hesitancy. I finally had an MRI of my lumbar spine. I am currently a college student doing a studyabroad and so I am attaching my MRI results.The res... Read Full »
Answer: Hello Welcome to icliniq.com. Considering your symptoms (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity), I recommend performing nerve conduction studies to exclude possible neuropathy and a brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to exclude MS (multiple sclerosis). The lumbar spine MRI is n... Read Full »
Why do I often get fasciculations in my calves?
Query: Hi doctor, I am a 28-year-old male, approximately 205 pounds. Over the past year, I have been getting muscle fasciculations in my calves (mainly) and also in my quads. I have seen several doctors and they have checked my reflexes and feeling in my legs and said it is all fine. The fasiculations occu... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Involuntarily muscle twitching or fasciculations could result from various causes. Most common being anxiety, hyperthyroidism, nerve compression at lower back, restless leg syndrome, vitamin B12 deficiency, vitamin D deficiency. If we think of uncommon causes, they coul... Read Full »
Query: Hi doctor, I have a burning sensation in my left hand and left leg. This sensation stops when I move. I have had some muscle twitching, mainly in the calves. I have taken an EMG three months after the beginning of the symptoms. No denervation or any other sign of ALS was found. Is EMG efficient in ... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. Anxiety may mimic this situation. It is not a nerve issue; it is in half of the body. For this reason, I recommend performing a brain and cervical spine MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and checking thyroid hormone levels. In the meantime, I ... Read Full »
Query: Hello doctor,I am a 43-year-old female. My height is 5 feet 4 inches and my weight is 51 kilograms. I am currently taking Omeprazole. I was on Amoxicillin, Clarithromycin, and Omeprazole for 7 days towards the end of the last month. I have been experiencing dizziness for over a month now. I am const... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Thank you for your query. Do not worry. It seems to be due to acidity, lack of exercise, fear, and anxiety. It is not a serious issue. Do not depend on medications. I suggest you to follow a few instructions mentioned below. Do yoga and pranayama regularly. Do ... Read Full »
I have been experiencing on and off muscle twitching for the past two years. Please help.
Query: Hello doctor, I have been having on and off muscle twitching for the past two years, and having no other symptoms. Could this still be slow progression ALS? Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. I would like to know some details about your symptoms: 1. In which body parts, do you have twitching? 2. Are these twitching visible to the eyes? Or only felt inside? 3. Have you noticed any weakness or thinning of some part of arm or leg ... Read Full »
I have been experiencing pain and twitching in my right leg for some time. Please help.
Query: Hi doctor, I have developed a dull pain in my right leg which comes and goes. There is also a tingling sensation in the whole body sometimes. If I hold something for five minutes my hands start shaking. My MRI shows thecal sac compression at C3 to C7 and L4 to L5. Sometimes I feel a dull pain in my ... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) findings from the attached reports (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity) show mild degenerative changes only, which may not explain your all symptoms - tingling in the whole body, shaking... Read Full »
Can muscle twitching since one year be due to ALS?
Query: Hello doctor, I have had muscle twitching since last year, and I am worried about ALS. So I consulted a neurologist, who said I have fibrillation in three muscles in the EMG and cervical radiculopathy at C6-C7. Kindly help. Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. Your symptoms seem to be related to a pinched nerve. Based on this EMG (electromyography) report (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity), the muscles with spontaneous activity are in the territory of the pinched right media... Read Full »
Is my twitching due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Query: Hi doctor, About two weeks ago, I started having twitching in the front of my right calf. The next four days, it began to spread to my left calf and thighs. Sporadically I will get them on peck, shoulder, triceps, back near the armpit, and shoulder blade. My lower body nearly always twitches, whi... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern and explain that a normal EMG (electromyography) excludes ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The lack of weakness too. For this reason, I think that your symptoms are related to anxiety. Nevertheless, I would recommend checking thyroid hormon... Read Full »
Why does one side of my face alone twitch during stressful episodes?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 44-year-old female, and I experience a very intermittent twitch on my left cheek in the jaw area. I have experienced this twitching in my eye and thumb when stressed, but never in the facial area. I have been under a great deal of stress and suffer from some situational anxie... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. Your symptoms are not suggestive of a brain tumor. Anxiety and thyroid dysfunction can trigger muscle twitching in every region of the body, including the face. Too much caffeine intake or insomnia may do the same. Coming to this point, I... Read Full »
What are the causes of constant muscle twitches?
Query: Hi doctor, I am having constant muscle twitches every day for a year. It is manageable on most of the days. But still, it affects my daily life. I consulted a doctor and she told me that I have vitamin D deficiency. I was prescribed vitamin D. I am taking it still now. But still, it seems unusual... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Muscle twitching is caused due to various causes. The possible causes are anxiety, muscle fatigue, exercising in hot temperatures, dehydration, and imbalance of electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It is difficult to have its proper diagnosis until an... Read Full »