I have twitching in my legs. Do you think it is ALS?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. Muscle twitching can be related to differential medical disorders: 1. Neuropathy (nerve damage) 2. Thyroid gland dysfunction. 3. Electrolyte imbalances. 4. Muscular disorders. 5. Epilepsy (seizures) or central nervous system disorders. 6. Benign fasciculation syndrome, etc. For this reason, I would recommend consulting with a neurologist for a physical exam and performing some tests: 1. A nerve conduction study. 2. Thyroid hormone levels. 3. Complete blood count. 4. Blood electrolytes. 5. Vitamin D levels for possible deficiency. Further tests may be needed. You should discuss with your doctor on the above tests.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. As you can see, there are a lot of disorders that may mimic such symptoms. For this reason, it is important to perform the above-recommended tests. Nerve conduction studies would help exclude ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or neuropathy. I will be glad to review your tests as soon as you can upload them.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. I agree with your physician that a normal physical exam can help exclude a lot of disorders. But, I would recommend performing thyroid hormone levels, vitamin B12 and vitamin D plasma levels, and blood electrolytes to exclude any possible metabolic disorders. I would also advise performing nerve conduction studies just to be sure that everything is alright.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have a lot of other symptomsand an abnormal physical exam. So, I agree with your doctor that there is nothing to worry about. Anyway, I would recommend performing the above-mentioned tests, just to be sure that everything is fine and definitely put your mind to peace.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. Thank you for the additional information. I am glad that the electromyography (EMG) resulted normal, as we can definitely exclude amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or neuropathy. It does not matter if the test was performed by another doctor, because this is a reliable test for these disorders with a high sensibility and specificity. I agree with your doctor that the most probable diagnosis seems to be benign fasciculations syndrome. Anyway, I would also recommend checking vitamin D and vitamin B12 plasma levels, coupled with thyroid hormone levels, in order to exclude these metabolic disorders, which may trigger this clinical scenario. If these tests result normal, we can discuss about the treatment. Anyway, you should know that treatment in case of benign fasciculation syndrome is not always effective and it should be started only in cases of continuous and generalized fasciculations, which interfere with the patients daily activity. In this regard, Carbamazepine or Clonazepam may be started by your doctor.