Re: Twitching

Posted By CCF Neuro MD on September 03, 1997 at 21:23:25:

In Reply to: Twitching posted by Lisa on September 03, 1997 at 17:16:21:







: My boyfriend, for as long as he can remember, has had daily twitching of
the head,face, and wrists. He's 29 in perfect health, takes no medications,
keeps a good diet and weight. What he won't do is, go to a doctor about
his twitches. They seem to occur almost out of habit such as: his head will
spasitically bob up and down 5 to 6 times just before he brings a fork to
his mouth, however there are twitches that occur thru out the day (facial)
that the intensity varies according the stress from the day..while driving
he will flick his wrists as to shake off the twitch and he claims he feels
stiffness in the wrists (this however, is ONLY done while driving, another
"habit twitching")He claims his twitches are from stress, and maybe so,
but to see him in this condition concerns me a lot. Is there such thing
as a "learned twitch"? I can almost predict when these twitches will
happen. Ironically, he falls asleep at the drop of a hat,and has no
twitches during sleep. Please help...







Hello, Lisa,
  Clinically the twitching that your boyfriend has been experiencing can represent a lot of things.  They are all under the category of abnormal movements.  Depending on the rate and rhythm of the twitching, when to occur, constant versus on-and-off, and response to medications, they can be tremor, chorea, or myoclonus, or even focal seizures.  Physiologically, they may even be from stress and not represent any abnormalities.  I am not aware of "learned twitch" as a clinical entity.  However, it is conceivable that the twitches may be accentuated by change of environment, physical conditions, and emotional levels.  It is very important to realize that the difference between physiological and pathological twitching can be subtle and a full neurological evaluation is essential.  In addition to a clinical examination, the neurologist will decide if further studies are necessary such as EEG, EMG, or even brain imaging.  The movement disorder center at Cleveland Clinic is one of the top such specialized centers in the nation.  If traveling to Cleveland is not a problem, I strongly recommend your boyfriend come to here for an appointment.  Please call toll free at [phone] ext. 45559.  
This information is provided for general medical educational purpose only.  Please consult your physician for the diagnostic and treatment options of your specific condition.