muscle fasciculations

Hello.  I am a 25 year old male who has had muscle fasciculations for the past 2 weeks or so, and I am worried that it might be something more serious.  Last year I had fasciculations in my upper eyelids that lasted for a while, and one day it stopped.  Now two weeks ago, the arch of my left foot started twitching and has been for the past 2 weeks constantly.  Occasionally I will get a muscle twitch here and there throughout my body, especially in my legs.  I went to a GP yesterday and he did the usual neurological tests and did blood work on me, which turned out to be normal.  I was just wondering if this type of patient history could lead to something serious such as als.  It has gotten me doing strength tests and walking up flights of stairs to prove to myself I am not getting weaker.  Have you heard of any twitches that will go away on its own?  At what point should I start becoming more concerned?

Thanks.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

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.

It must be emphasized that in the MAJORITY of cases muscle twitches are benign meaning that they are of no consequence and are not resulting from a serious cause. In such cases, the twitches may be related to anxiety/stress, caffeine, and often occur after recent strenuous activity or muscle over-use. It is important in such cases to reduce stress/anxiety levels and to reduce caffeine intake. Tremors of the hands can be physiological that is exacerbated by stress/anxiety and caffeine.

Benign fasciculation syndrome is another condition in which there are involuntary twitches of various muscle groups, most commonly the legs but also the face, arms, eyes, and tongue. If the diagnosis is confirmed and other causes are excluded, it can be safely said that the likelihood of progression or occurrence of a serious neurologic condition is low. When this condition is present but not particularly bothersome or disabling, treatment is not necessary. If severe and it requires treatment, there are a few medication options though this condition is not very common, and the research that has been done on its treatment is limited. Minimizing caffeine and stress, and treating anxiety if it is present, will improve your symptoms.

More worrisome causes of muscle twitching may also include weakness, muscle atrophy, difficulty swallowing/speaking, etc. If these are present or become present, you should be evaluated by a neurologist.

You should continue following up with your primary care physician.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[abrafe]

I am a 40 yr old female, has been experiencing pain in my right lower back, sinus congestion, muscle twitchting, pain in my right lower abdomen, my right eye appears smaller than the left,and  pulsation in my body for the past 5 months...have had MRI and CAT scan...nothing...help

[ewford]

Once again, all symptoms are Lyme symptoms.  Labcorp tests are worthless, they miss 90% of actual pos cases.  contact ILADS or go to www.ilads.org to see if symptoms look like Lymes.  These are doctors that actually know how to diagnose your problems and realize this is an intracellular bacterial chronic infection.  No standard doctor or specialist is gonna figure this out.