Dr. Aida Abaz Quka
Neurology
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Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I was diagnosed with BFS six months ago after having an EMG that was normal. Recently I have been waking up at night and then when I am about to fall back asleep and roll over I get these crazy muscle jerks in both my shoulders. It has been happening almost every night. My doctor said I am anxious and said my muscle strength and reflexes were good and likely anxiety is contributing to it. Does what I describe sound like hypnic jerks? I am trying to put a name to what I am describing.
Please help.
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I understand your concern and would explain that your symptoms are not suggestive of hypnic jerks.
I would recommend performing a cervical spine X-ray in order to investigate for a bulging disk in the cervical vertebral column.
I would also recommend checking vitamin D and vitamin B12 plasma levels, blood electrolytes for possible imbalances.
In the meantime, I recommend using an orthopedic pillow and taking magnesium supplements 400 mg daily.
I also suggest taking low dose Clonazepam 0.5 mg before sleep. This could help reduce the muscle spasms and also anxiety.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Kind regards.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for the reply.
The only time I feel them is at night when I try to go back to sleep after waking up. Would not an EMG show disk problems if any?
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
Yes, you are right. If it was present, a disk bulge would show up in the EMG (electromyography), and also cause symptoms during the day.
Therefore, I recommend taking low dose Clonazepam to help improve your situation.
It is also important performing the above-mentioned blood laboratory tests in order to help exclude possible metabolic causes that may lead to this clinical situation.
If you have any other questions please let me know.
Kind regards.
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