What is it callled when your body jumps

Hello all.  About a month into theses symptoms that are now known to be MS, my body started jumping randomly.
Lt me explain.  I'll be sitting at my desk at school and my body will jump.  I will be sitting at the dinner table and my arm will jolt forwrd.  Sitting on the couch, back will jump, etc, etc, etc.

It almost feels like when the neuro did my reflex test and he hit my left knee and my leg jolted forwrd.  It is completely involuntary and out of nowhere.  I have had twitches in hands, shaking of head, but this seems to be different.  It doesn't feel like the electric jolts I get when i put my chest to my chin, it feels different.

Can anyone explain what this is or if you have experienced this.

Thanks again.

Kerri

[essdipity]

The jolts we get when falling asleep are called hypnic jerks, and actually they're very normal. Loads of people without MS get them, and they're nothing to worry about. Maybe MS people's are worse, I don't know. Wikipedia describes hypnic jerks quite well.

The abnormal kind are called myoclonus, or myoclonic jerks. Some people confuse these with twitches, but they're very different. With twitches (which can have many causes, not usually MS), the person feels the movement in small muscles, but that's it. Myoclonus involves real body movement. Kicking is a good example.

From what I've read, these happen because of random nerve firing. This happens a lot in MS, and is not connected to our standard symptoms such as walking problems.

I'm lucky that my jerks are quite small, maybe a leg going out an inch or two and coming back, all in an instant. I haven't hurt anyone yet :-)

I don't know what, if anything, can be done about this, which can be very unpleasant, I'm sure.

If it's not random, but is due to position, then I guess avoiding that position makes a lot of sense. That sounds more like a reaction to a specific lesion in the spine, not random firing.

ess

[Sumanadevii]

It's called myoclonus.  Here is a site that explains it.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myoclonus/detail_myoclonus.htm#167833160

[Sparkysarah]

The link that Sumana has given is excellent and very informative. Yesterday I went to sleep on my bed and jsut as I was drifting off my whole body gave an enormous jerk that woke me up.  this is an example of sleep myclonus (I think!)

Many people with MS experience these jerks in different shapes and forms but worth mentioning to your neuro next time you see him/her.

Regards
Sarah

[metalbender]

I too get those jolts...It mostly happens when I'm about to fall asleep and a specific outside sound will set off an electric jolt that I can hear, see and feel...I see lightning and I hear the electric sensation (a humming/buzzing sound) simutaneously as my entire body jolts...Let me tell you, it kind of freaks me out...I told my neurologist about this and he used a word that I can't remember...I don't think that myoclonus was the word he used....It was a longer word than that...All I know is my doctor recognized this symptom right away and it seemed to me by his attitude, that this is a fairly common symptom with ms...So with that, I just live with these symptoms....In other words, it doesn't effect my daily life and it only happens when laying down for a very short period of time with no pain, so it is not on my immediate agenda to treat...

As for involuntary jolts outside of bed:  That happens to, but you will start to notice (at least I do) that certain positions the body is in will induce these jolts more often...I have learned what body positions will produce these jolts, so therefore I try to avoid those positions...For example, if sitting in a recliner with my right leg crossed over my left and my head turned to the left, I may get a body jolt if sitting like that for too long...So therefore, I avoid that position...It seems to work, since my body jolts are less now than let's say a year ago...

Michael

[essdipity]

The jolts we get when falling asleep are called hypnic jerks, and actually they're very normal. Loads of people without MS get them, and they're nothing to worry about. Maybe MS people's are worse, I don't know. Wikipedia describes hypnic jerks quite well.

The abnormal kind are called myoclonus, or myoclonic jerks. Some people confuse these with twitches, but they're very different. With twitches (which can have many causes, not usually MS), the person feels the movement in small muscles, but that's it. Myoclonus involves real body movement. Kicking is a good example.

From what I've read, these happen because of random nerve firing. This happens a lot in MS, and is not connected to our standard symptoms such as walking problems.

I'm lucky that my jerks are quite small, maybe a leg going out an inch or two and coming back, all in an instant. I haven't hurt anyone yet :-)

I don't know what, if anything, can be done about this, which can be very unpleasant, I'm sure.

If it's not random, but is due to position, then I guess avoiding that position makes a lot of sense. That sounds more like a reaction to a specific lesion in the spine, not random firing.

ess

[cainer]

hi!!  i too have this- it really has been bad before, cant control it,id go to eat..there was no way arm would go maybe straight up in the air or to the side, husban had to feed me, when go to sleep-lol- thought id knock him out!! but meds helped  still   jerk some ..oh yah  he had to take me to the hospital, am on  well was on mysolene, i went to phenobarbital, its cheaper- i thought maybe it was siezers, but they said no.
hope you ok!!  hugs  cainer

[kerrtelli]

Thanks everyone.  Tough day.  Legs aren't cooperating.
I do notice the jerking when I am at rest rather than while moving.