Leg tightness/aching + twitching

[Jp4400]

Good morning,

I’m a 44 year old male who started experiencing the following symptoms over the past six months:

In September, I went on a run and within a few steps I noticed constant tightness in my right calf. After a mile or so, this graduated into a full blown cramp. This, of course, wouldn’t normally raise concerns. However, the tightness continued for months and moved up my leg into my right hamstring. Since then (and to this day) I have consistent tightness and aching in the hamstring of my right leg that never fully goes away. It’s not nearly as bad if I stand, but its frequently uncomfortable when I sit.

On March 6th, I started noticing twitching. Primarily in the calf in my right leg, but they also appeared frequently in my left leg and randomly in multiple other parts of my body (feet, triceps, etc.) The intensity seems to have calmed down a bit over the past 10 days, but they’re still there, especially when I’m sitting at my desk or lying in bed at night.

Of note, despite the tightness/aching, I can detect no obvious weakness. I can still stand on my toes and heels, still run normal distances, etc.

I know that twitching alone doesn’t equal ALS. I guess the thing that worries my is the ambiguity surrounding tightness / aching vs. “spasticity” coupled with the twitching.

I have been referred to a Neurologist with an appointment on April 17th.

Thank you all for your time.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Hello-

Spasticity is an abnormal muscular response to stimulus- the brain is not communicating properly to the muscles. A doctor can assess for this during a clinical exam via reflex and other types of observations of how your muscles respond, or how you move when they ask you to do certain things.

Stiffness/tightness comes from overwork of the muscles- which everyone gets now and then. Twitching is also something that people get for all sorts of reasons. You've had some stiffness and twitching for 10 days, that came on with exercise. I'd be more inclined to visit with a massage therapist or physio for an assessment and to see if there's a structural issue or imbalance that can be resolved with stretching and focused exercises.

Your neuro appointment is not far off and I am sure you'll be reassured.

Take care

 

[Jp4400]

Thank you. I absolutely appreciate you taking the time to respond.

My apologies, I should have been more clear in my initial post. The clock on my stiffness / tightness (and resultant aching) was first noticed six months ago during an exercise, but has never fully subsided. What started in my calf soon moved into my hamstring and has been creating an uncomfortable aching (especially when I sit) for these numerous months, relatively non-stop.

The 10 days is specific to the addition of twitching.

This leads me into the "spasticity" discussion which I've read on many posts within this forum. I know that I need to wait for a doctor to officially diagnose, but whatever this pain is does not change much with physical exertion. The aching gets worse after sitting (at my desk, in my car, etc.) and actually eases a bit when I stand up, walk around, even exercise. It's still there when I'm active, but sitting is the worst.

It's the presence of stiffness that isn't seemingly affiliated with overwork of muscles, that has lasted for many months, coupled with onset of twitching that had me a bit worried.

Thanks again.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Apologies for misunderstanding the timeline. However, pain and stiffness still do not equal spasticity. I really encourage you to get an assessment by a physio to see if there is something structural going on. Focusing on something that originates in the brain (ALS) when there are many many reasons for muscle stiffness is possibly distracting you from finding a solution for daily pain via a physiotherapist.

 

[Jp4400]

Well said and thank you.