HomeAnswersNeurologymuscle twitchingWhat causes my several episodes of muscle twitching at random places?

What is the cause of random muscle twitching and contraction of the toes?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

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Published At May 17, 2022
Reviewed AtSeptember 13, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am contacting you regarding some symptoms I have been having lately. I am a 30-year-old male. I take no medication. My height is 181 cm, my weight is 133 kg, and I am generally overall healthy.

Before one and half years, I had several episodes of muscle twitching. The muscle twitching was spontaneous and seen in random parts of the body. One day, my left upper forearm could twitch for a couple of hours and then disappear. Then five days later, my right thumb could twitch intermittently for some minutes or hours and disappear again. After that, my shoulder muscles could twitch with the same frequency and disappear. The frequency was very intermittent so that the episodes could last all from 15 mins to four or five days. The twitching would switch places, so for some period, it could be my right leg muscles, and another period could be my face, like eyebrows, cheeks, and arms or hands or fingers. So it was never really localized in a particular area in my body. It was seen at random places.

I talked with a doctor at that time, and the doctor told me not to worry as this most likely could be because of stress or anxiety. And for the past year, the twitching disappeared completely. But I noticed some weird things in the toes of both of my legs. Sometimes whenever I lift my left leg and place it on my right knee (when sitting), the toes of my leg very subtly contract. This also happens at random and does not happen on all movements. If I were to estimate, it only occurs 5 to 10 % of the time of each movement related to my left leg. The contraction of the toes happens very fast.

Answered by Dr. Aida Abaz Quka

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern and would explain that your symptoms do not seem to be related to any serious neurological disorder. The fact that your symptoms stopped for a short period is indicative that anxiety could be the cause. Anyway, I would suggest performing some blood lab tests:

1. Complete blood count for anemia.

2. Blood electrolytes.

3. Thyroid hormone levels for thyroid gland dysfunction.

4. Vitamin D and vitamin B12 plasma levels for possible deficiency.

I hope you will find this information helpful. I remain at your disposal in case of further questions whenever you need me. Kind regards.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Aida Abaz Quka
Dr. Aida Abaz Quka

Neurology

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