Leg Twitching with 'Abnormal' EMG

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BBWess

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Hello all,

I am a 35 year old male that has recently experienced some pretty noticeable leg twitching starting in August this year. The twitching started in my calf muscles, and are most bothersome while sitting in a chair or laying down. I never notice them while actively moving. I tried to ignore them for a few days, but I became concerned when I started seeing them in other parts of my leg including the knees and feet. I've also seen a random twitch appear in my arms, but these seldom repeat. Most importantly, I have noticed no issues walking or doing every day tasks up to this point.

I visited my GP a week after the twitches started who run some blood tests (CBC, Metabolic, Vitamins, Thyroid) which were all normal save for a relatively low Vitamin D. She did a few reflex tests, and said it was benign and advised I wear some compression socks. A week later, I was still bothered by the twitching (especially at night), so I sought out a nearby neurologist. He performed a nuero exam which revealed normal reflexes (+2/+2), but scheduled an EMG of my legs because he could see them moving. Blood tests for muscles (aldolase / CK) were also normal. He commented that my presentation was not very interesting, and that he believed I had Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS).

I had the EMG on September 5th, and the results were 'Abnormal'. I do not have the paper with the table results,, but the nuero wrote on my report:
"Abnormal EMG/NCV of the BLE demonstrating isolated, scattered fasciculations in multiple muscles: Left lateral gastroc showed rare fasciculations. Left AHL showed many fasciculations. Right AHL showed few fasciculations. However, there were no signs of acute denervation potentials. I would consider this consistent with benign fasciculation syndrome."

My question is, even though the EMG is technically 'Abnormal', can it be considered 'Clean' in terms of BFS? I am aware the stickies in this board say twitching is meaningless without failure, and I want to believe that. I am just having a hard time accepting that these twitches are not a sign of something else. I have noticed that the more I worry, the more prominent the twitching becomes.

Thank you for any advice.
 
Twitches feel weird and seem scary, but they are meaningless in the absence of muscle function failure. If the EMG is negative other than fasciculations, then that clears you of ALS. Congratulations.
 
Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for the reply and reassurance. My neuro did tell me after the test that he would like a follow-up visit in six-months, but he does not expect anything to worsen. I just wanted to make sure I was interpreting 'Abnormal' right. Again, I appreciate your help!
 
As Karen said, the EMG continues to point to BFS. And by your own statement, the more you worry, the worse the twitching. So my suggestion is to stop worrying -- fill that space with things that you enjoy more.

Best,
Laurie
 
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