Twitching and Carpal Tunnel?!

[Tucci]

Hi! I'm new here. 40 year old female. I started with right index finger twitching about 3 months ago. I let it go until I googled twitching, and of course ALS comes up. So now I freak out, start having panic attacks and twitching all over my body. Schedule appointment with neurologist. She notices weakness in my right hand but thinks it's carpal tunnel. EMG was scheduled last month and it did show carpal tunnel. But I'm still twitching all over, and I'm afraid the dr is wrong. Coincidental that I have twitching along with weakness and it's not ALS? I'm not sure I believe her. What if it's the start of ALS and she's wrong? Any others experience this?

 

[lgelb]

I would imagine she suggested hand therapy as first line and surgery if the hand therapy isn't effective. Carpal tunnel dysfunction can result in twitching as well as weakness and pain.

Best,
Laurie

 

[GregK]

Twitching means squat. Everyone twitches, some more than others.
Just like a headache doesn't mean brain cancer.

 

[Nuts]

I just had carpal tunnel surgery after nearly 20 years of "managing" it. My fingers locked up. I had occassional twitches. My hand and arm were weaker.

The other twitching, as you've already read, is not, in the absences of other major problems, not a sign of ALS. It may be nerves.

There is absolutely no reason to fear ALS. The same neurologist who diagnosed my husband with ALS diagnosed me with carpal tunnel. There was NEVER any question about either diagnosis. Trust your neurologist.

 

[Tucci]

The twitching is widespread and constant. Sometimes like fireworks going off. I'm a widow with 3 kids, so of course I worry.

 

[Nuts]

Yes, but as we've explained in the sticky, widespread twitching does not point directly to ALS. There are MANY things that can cause it, and often no reason is discovered. Please don't worry about ALS--just let your physicians diagnose and treat you. Most of the people here with ALS only went to the doctor when they started falling down for no reason, or limbs stopped working. I hate tha tDoctor Google terrorizes so many people by coming up with ALS when they search on twitching. I understand your concern for caring for your children, but Carpal Tunnel is not fatal, and there is no reason for you to suspect ALS. If anyone else here felt differently, they would jump on me in a heartbeat, so please trust us and relax. You will be doing yourself a kindness.

Take care,
Becky

 

[affected]

Dr Google only responds. People start searching and the more they click on ALS information and the more they search using ALS, the more google will serve them ALS information in response to other searches.

This convinces them further that ALS is the answer.

Google is a tool and people use it against themselves.

 

[Lkaibel]

I have twitching and carpel tunnel, and the EMG I had on my hand yeeears ago even was so conclusive for it they did the EMG on the hand/arm, the nerve conduction test, looked at me and said "yup carpel". The twitching well as one Dr said years ago to me "Yours is significant enough that we could call it a benign syndrome, but who cares now people twitch to some degree or another". Weakness in the hand/ arm was significant enough that my hand would just not do much at all without pain for days at a time. Surgery was great. No ALS for you, stop worrying.