Is thumb extension issue is a symthom?

[1378009]

All hands, I am new here and as many others I am here because of my fear of having ALS

I have passed many stages of fear by suspecting one muscle after another, the reason was the general feeling that my dominant hand was not that good as it used to be.

I spent many hours trying to find the actual reason for that suspecting weak grip, weak pinch, etc and finally I have found something that I am trully unable to do and which seems to be the reason

I cannot fully extend my thumb in the MCP joint. The IP and CMC joints are OK. And thumb adductiong, abduction, opposing and reposition looks normal and feels of normal muscle strength.

The issue is in the extension. I simply cannot do that. The thumb on my dominant hand always stays a little bit flexed no matter how hard I try (after tests the thumb even starts to shake). And if I help with left hand I get the full extension with no problem.

Looks like I have lost around 10-15 percent of movement range. It is seems to me that because of that my grip changed (position of thumb is different in grip from the one on my left hand) and became less effective as a result

There are only two muscles doing this extension and both of them are in the forearm. I don't see any atrophy there

Plus to that fasciculations all over the body, can be due to the anxiety of course.

Can anyone please share experience on that?

 

[Nikki J]

You need to get it checked. If you truly can not move it to extend at all there is something going on. Most likely it is a local issue rather than anything systemic let alone ALS. Some of the potential causes are fixable if you get treatment in time so do not wait.
My sister was hand onset but not like that.

 

[1378009]

Dear Nikki
Thanks for the fast reply
So far no neuro specialist managed to give me any grounded or at least confident opinion on that

I have read lots about "failing not feeling" and my anxiety is about early stage. My thumb is not in a "drop" position. It moves around 85 - 90 percent of normal range (I mean the MCP joint only). Can that be a start?
How it really starts? Muscle gets "cut off" the "signal" gradually so far I understand as every muscle is controlled by many motor neurons.

It feels like in a gym when you take too havy weight and can lift it only half-way or almost all the way, but still the muscle is not strong enough to do it all the way.

Is that how ALS starts? I mean if to take a foot drop for example, does it just drop in a single moment or prior to that it shows some movement limitations like inability to lift it to a completely normal position?

 

[affected]

No nothing like ALS, you are actually obsessing.

I have some issues with a finger and could write a long description finding out each particular muscle and measuring the lack of ROM. So far after more than 10 years of working around it I'm fine.

ALS does not start in a thumb or finger. I hope your doctors and pinpoint what is going on for you.

 

[1378009]

Thanks for reassuring

Could you please explain the ALS not starting with the finger idea. I thought that typical ALS onset is the luck of a hand grip or hand dexterity, which due to the finger/fingers and thumb disfunction

 

[Atsugi]

"I have lost around 10-15 percent of movement range."

First, understand that ALS is very rare. When it starts in the foot it slowly moves up. Rarely, it starts in the tongue and slowly moves down.

Always, ALS means the muscle fails and doesn't work at all. This is because ALS destroys the nerve in the brain so the muscle can't get the "go" signal.

If you had ALS, you would have NO range of motion.

 

[skipper66]

You are obsessing about having ALS when there are tons of other things that could be causing your symptoms. It could even be something like carparal tunnel or even arthritis. You are getting way over your head in even remotely thinking this is ALS related.