Thank you so much for the reply. He is not on any medication for them as of now. Here is our update and I would love to hear what your opinion would be. Last Friday, we were scheduled for an EEG at 9:45 am. They said to bring him in very tired. So we made him miss two normal naps and he was very fatigued we did the EEG. About half way through he fell asleep. We went to the neurologist yesterday and he said the EEG was completely normal. He checked out our son and watched the 5 videos of his "episodes." He carefully watched every one and dismissed 4 of them as babisms, or nothing to worry about. The one video that he did notice he watched over and over. He said it seemed like our son was sort of out of it when these jack knife like episodes were happening. He said it was hard to tell though. He asked if we brought him in to his office for an 8 hour EEG did we think we could catch any more of the episodes that he said looked suspicious. We said no because it always happens from about 7pm on. The docter said epilepsy should be spontaneous and throughout the day so it only happening at night kind of contradicts it being epileptic. He said to watch for the episodes throughout the day for 2 weeks and catch it on camera again if we can. So, I guess my question is, was it good news that he had a normal EEG even though it was early in the morning? Also, could it be excessive excercise towards the end of the day that trigger arm and trunk spasms? Thank you so much for your input.
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.
Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
Myoclonus are brief shocklike episodes of muscle contraction. They can, as you mention,have a benign or a malignant course. The most common causes are benign (e.g., many people experience this as they are falling asleep and awaken with a brief jerk; other causes could be anxiety, exercise, hiccup, eating, etc). However, some are malignant, such as the epilepsies. Some are hereditary and can be benign.
It is good that your son has not experienced any additional episodes. Has he been treated with a medication for them or was it a one time event? I do agree that seeing a pediatric neurologist is a good idea. It does not sound like there is urgency at this moment. He/she may or may not want additional testing (depending on what other information is provided in the history and examination). Many times, an EEG to look at the electrical nature of the brain is performed.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.