what is the cause?

[tania again, add to question]

Good morning & thank you for taking my question.  I have had some twitching (everywhere imaginable), numbness and tingling, aches and pains,muscle sore spots that are very deep, and joint pains.  All of this has come and gone, except the twitching.  THis stays.  I have had MRIs and much blood work.  Everything comes out just fine, which, don't get me wrong, is great, but the neuro now tells me I have anxiety.  I am wondering if anxiety can CAUSE all the problems or is it a RESULT from something else that might be occupying my body? I first had tingling for a few days, and then, the twitching started.  It seems that I didn't become anxious until AFTER these symptoms started.  I am very confused, and I am needing to know if anxiety can actually CAUSE the muscles to twitch and do all of these uncommon things?  Also, someone mentioned chronic fatigue.  Can chronic fatigue cause all of the above.  It might help to know that these symptoms have been occuring for about four months now, and I have had no weakness, or none that I or the doctor have noticed.  However, I still have very odd symptoms that come and go, except the twitching, and of course, it stays.  Please help me find some answers to this question.  Thank you so much for your time.

[CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS]

Dear Tamra:

Sorry to hear about your twitching.  When a source for muscle twitching (fasciculations) is unknown and multiple neurological testing has been found to be normal, we all these benign fasciculations.  There is a group of people who twitch after a viral illness and also a group that just begin twitching.  Some think that these two groups are linked and there is some sort of viral etiology.  But the truth is that we just don't know.  The twitching eventually goes away (some people have them for year(s)).  Anxiety tends to make them worse.  It is a "catch-22" in that the fasciculations may one very anxious and therefore the twitching becomes worse which makes the patient more anxious....  I imagine that pure anxiety might trigger twitches in some patients, only because when some patients receive benzodiazepines, the twitching reduces in frequency.  

I hope I answered your question, there are some times we just don't know the complete answer.

Sincerely,

CCF Neuro MD

[Donna]

That sounds like what I have...I'm wondering, how bad are your twitches?  I get mine everywhere but mostly in my left leg, and I have sore spots, too.