New constant twitch

[mhswarriors]

I have been here in the past but was able to get away for a while since my symptoms didn't change much. I have had random bodywide twitching for about 5 months. that has never stopped. I get one here....then one there. They randomly come and go where ever they please. However this past Friday i got one in the upper right part of my quad that will not stop. It's just below my hip and it fires about once every 3-5 seconds. Same spot...thump....thump. Not rippling, not getting bigger. Now it has stopped some. I didn't have it most of the day Saturday (came back at night), and didn't have it Sunday thru about 5pm yesterday, but it came back and has been here ever since (going on about 12 hours now).

I went to a neuro back in May. He did a clinical now EMG. Said relfexs were good (at a 2), and no signs of weaknes. I still don't beleive I have any signs of wekaness. I can carry both of my kids one in each arm down the steps (which is like 60 pounds). And I haven't been stopped from doing anything in my normal life. Should I concerned that this new "hotspot" is something more serious or just chalk it up to BFS?

 

[alex scared]

hi . . Twitchin without weakness should not be anything to worry about . . Your neuro couldn find any weakness and as much as they do my head in at times neuros really do know what to look for . . They begin examining the minute you walk in before you do the tests. Without weakness or atrophy i would not even begin to look down the als path . .twitches are annoying but 99% of the time harmless . . Hope this eases your mind a bit . . Good luck

 

[Robynnblue]

Its ok that you came here looking for some reassurance, and you may get some. The truth is though, nobody here or even a neuro for that matter, are going to get real excited about some twitches, no matter how constant they are, unless you have some true weakness coming along with it. Its been said all over, ALS is not about twitches, its about weakness.

Think about it for a min. When you go to the neuro for an exam, and he is asking his questions and doing his in office test. You never hear him ask "are you having any muscle twitches" do you? No you dont, because he is looking for other things, mostly clinical weakness. Thats why he has you pushing and pulling with your hands, and with your feet and legs. And he gets a giggle out of watching you walk on your heels and toes across the room. Thats what those test are for, to check for weakness. Weakness is key with many neurological diseases. Clinical weakness is a neuro's Red Flag so to speak.

I hope what I'm saying makes sense, its what got me past a lot of this. If you can just keep this phrase in your head, "You will NEVER get an ALS diagnosis, without clinical weakness".

Please Take Care

Robynn

 

[mhswarriors]

Thanks for the responses so far, but I am really concerned about this being ALS. The thigh twitch went away for a ew days, then came back yesterday and has been non stop since. It is a contstant thump like twitch. It starts at my hip and goes about half way down my leg. Now I am not aware of any weakness and I can still do everything just fine, including standing up from a chair with my 40 pund son in my hands. I just don't like this constant twitch in the thigh. Can ALs start this way? I had widespread twitching for 5 months prior to this new constant one. I am very scared.

 

[Al]

Twitching without prior weakness means nothing. Nothing serious anyway. Go with the BFS.

AL.

 

[mhswarriors]

Yes but Al I have read a post from you back in 2006 that said this:

"My fasciculations were my first outward sign. Started in righ tcalf and more than 3 years later they are everywhere below my shoulders along with some atrophy and breathing problems associated with the atrophy."

 

[Alyoop]

Hi There.

It may help for you to know they are not Fasciculations you are having, but Myokymia. They can be found in some neurological ailments, but on there own mean absolutely nothing, and are very common. Just ignore then. They always move on or go away. Really nothing to worry about without a heap of other signs, which you do not have.

Aly

 

[mike_az]

i have 2 hot spots one under the ribcage (i guess its intercostal muscle) and the other one on my left shoulder (deltoid)....for over 2 1/2 years ...they have not stopped even for a minute...going on and on just like the thumps u describe...firing at the rate of knots every second....so relax you are not the only one.

 

[mhswarriors]

Hi There.

It may help for you to know they are not Fasciculations you are having, but Myokymia. They can be found in some neurological ailments, but on there own mean absolutely nothing, and are very common. Just ignore then. They always move on or go away. Really nothing to worry about without a heap of other signs, which you do not have.

Aly

What's the difference between myokymia and fascics. NEver heard of that.....

 

[Alyoop]

I had both so after getting confused reading Dr Google. I asked my neurologist.
The myokymia tend to be the large rythmic twitches you get it one spot. They go on and on , or stop after a few big twtches. They can cause movement IE a finger move or a toe move, an eyelid twitch.......... if YOU WATCH THEM YOU WILL SEE ABUNCH OF MUSCLE FIBRES CONTRACT (whoops sorry) with each twitch.
Fasciculations are much finer movements, can feel like soft things touching (sorry that sounds lame). They are mainly unfelt but sometimes are felt in your legs as they softly ripple past clothing etc. When you watch them , they are much smaller movements and will never have the power to move anything. Many many people will never feel them at all.

Both Mypkymia and fasciculations can be and are mostly benign. Caused by things like anxiety, tiredness, stress and even caffeine and alchohol in some people.
The neurologists are not particularly interested unless they come along with other signs/symptoms. Both can show up on EMG, but again are not necessarily pathalogical
Hope that helps
Aly

 

[Al]

Just for clarification, I did have weakness before the fascics. No one recognized it as ALS related because we were blaming it on my quad heart bypass. Only after seeing the twitching did I put 2 and 2 together.

AL