Hand twitching is a symptom that many people are already familiar with. In most cases, the underlying cause is a harmless one. Nevertheless, if twitching occurs on a regular basis, a doctor should be consulted to have the phenomenon clarified.
What are twitches in the hand?
The causes of twitching on the hand can be physical as well as psychological. In many individuals, they occur during stressful situations. Twitching in the hand may become noticeable with a movement or proceed motionless. If some muscle fibers contract without the affected person consciously noticing, this is referred to as fibrillation. If, on the other hand, several nerve bundles in which the muscle fibers unite twitch, this is called fasciculation. This is also not characterized by an external movement. In summary, the twitching of the hand is called myoclonia, regardless of whether it moves during the process or not. Tremor is to be differentiated from this. A tremor ensures that different muscle areas are affected by the twitching. This results in a constant tremor. The causes of hand twitching can be physical as well as psychological. In many people they occur in stressful situations. However, away from psychological components, more serious reasons can also be behind the tremors.
Causes
The causes are differentiated into pathological occurrences as well as muscle twitching. In the area of harmless muscle twitching belongs, for example, fasciculation. What is striking about this is the close connection to psychological components. It often becomes noticeable when the affected person experiences a lot of stress. The phenomenon is often perceived as unpleasant in such a situation. At the same time, however, it is a harmless cause that does not necessarily need to be treated. In the context of a tic, the muscles contract involuntarily in some cases. Affected persons cannot control the contraction of the muscle. Scientists suspect that a disorder within the nervous system is to blame for the occurrence of tics. The hand can also be prone to twitching in epilepsy. Overall, uncontrolled muscle twitching occurs in this disease. Information misinterpreted by the muscles is responsible for the occurrence. High fever, drug use, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, and hypoglycemia in diabetes are some factors that can lead to occasional epileptic seizures. In addition, serious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and ALS are also possible. Both can take a serious course.
Diseases with this symptom
- Epilepsy
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Liver disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Diabetes mellitus
Diagnosis and course
The diagnosis is made during a visit to the doctor. First, a detailed conversation takes place, in which the patient should explain the twitching exactly. Particularly important here are the nature of the symptoms as well as the time period in which they become noticeable. Furthermore, the physician should be provided with information about previous illnesses and certain medications that may have toxins and could thus be partially to blame for the hand twitching. Complex procedures and processes are used to place the twitching under medical observation. For example, reflexes, coordination, balance, sensitivity, and stimulus transmission are measured. In addition, the examination of blood can detect the presence of metabolic diseases, tests related to muscle strength give further results. If no physical causes could be discovered, a psychological examination follows. The course of the twitching depends considerably on the underlying cause. While twitching triggered by stress is harmless, ALS and Parkinson’s are not curable diseases. Medications and procedures do exist to improve life expectancy. However, restoring health is not possible.
Complications
The twitching of the hand can affect the patient’s daily life relatively severely. Thus, working with the hands is no longer possible without further ado. It can also cause social anxiety or phobias, which at the same time lead to stress and other psychological problems.The patient’s safety is also severely impaired because the hands can no longer be used as usual. If the twitching of the hand occurs after epilepsy, the symptom can be cured relatively well. However, the epilepsy itself can reoccur and lead to renewed twitching of the hand. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diseases such as Parkinson’s. In these cases, the patient is dependent on the help of other people to cope with everyday life. It is not uncommon for the twitching of the hand to occur due to taking various medications. These should no longer be taken or should be changed. Usually, there are no further complications in this case. If the symptom occurs, a doctor must be consulted. However, the possibilities of cure and the possible complications depend greatly on the cause of the symptom.
When should you see a doctor?
In most cases, twitching of the hand is caused by significant hypothermia. If adequate warmth is then restored to the hand, the twitching should disappear within a few minutes. Medical treatment is not necessary in such a case. Twitching of the hand can also occur in the event of unaccustomed overuse. However, the said twitching should disappear completely after a rest. However, if twitching on the hand occurs for no apparent reason and is permanent, then a visit to the doctor is mandatory A doctor can make an explicit diagnosis and locate the appropriate reason for the twitching on the hand. Often, a certain nutrient deficiency is responsible for this, but it can be eliminated by taking appropriate preparations. If an early visit to the doctor is not made at this point, then the affected person is taking a very great risk. Under certain circumstances, twitching of the hand can hide a serious underlying disease that requires urgent medical treatment. It is not uncommon for such hand twitching to conceal a circulatory disorder, which in the worst case can be responsible for the death of individual limbs. In order to be able to recognize such complications at an early stage or to treat them accordingly, a doctor should be consulted as early as possible.
Treatment and therapy
Before therapy can be initiated, the physician’s initial suspicions must be proven. Only in this way is it possible to apply the correct treatment to reduce the symptoms. In doing so, it can prove complicated to offer the correct approaches. If psychosomatic twitching is present, patients are usually advised to avoid stress. Relaxation techniques such as autogenic training or herbal sedatives, for example valerian, can help. In the case of Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, treatment focuses on minimizing the occurrence of the symptoms as far as possible. A cure for the diseases, on the other hand, is not possible. In addition to drug therapy, treatment for Parkinson’s disease also consists of physiotherapy, movement exercises, speech exercises and psychosocial support. Antiepileptic drugs are able to reduce the hypersensitivity of the neurons. In this way, new seizures can be prevented. If deficiency symptoms could be detected in the blood test, the missing substance must be supplemented. This is often magnesium. If tics are already present, supplementation via medication rather than food is recommended. Tic disorders can be alleviated by behavioral therapy. Psychotherapeutic measures are mainly used here. In some cases, medications trigger the twitching of the hand. If possible, these should be discontinued or replaced with alternatives.
Outlook and prognosis
As a rule, the course of the symptom always depends on the cause of the twitching. For this reason, no universal prognosis can be given here. However, a doctor should always be consulted if the twitching of the hand persists for a long time and does not disappear on its own. In most cases, the twitching occurs at an older age and can severely restrict the patient’s daily life. It is not uncommon for metabolic diseases to be responsible for the twitching of the hand and to promote it. Stressful situations or lack of sleep can also be responsible for hand twitching and thus make everyday life more difficult for the patient.In the case of Parkinson’s disease, it is unfortunately not possible to limit the twitching completely. If stress is the cause of the twitching, various therapies can be used to relax. These are usually also accompanied by medication or herbal remedies. Psychological behavioral disorders are treated by a psychologist or therapist and can often be limited relatively well. Hand twitching itself does not result in decreased life expectancy. However, the underlying condition may limit it.
Prevention
Twitching of the hand can be prevented only to a limited extent. A healthy lifestyle can prove to be supportive. A varied diet, plenty of exercise and sufficient sport should be integrated into this. As far as possible, a reduction of stress is recommended. This is especially true for people who are generally sensitive to stressful situations. Learning relaxation techniques can help to better overcome stress. There is no generally applied prevention for epilepsy. However, head injuries promote the development of the disease.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Twitching of the hand can only be prevented to a limited extent. A healthy lifestyle can prove to be supportive in this regard. As much exercise as possible and sufficient sport, as well as a varied and regular diet should be paid attention to. Since magnesium is essentially responsible for balanced transmission of stimuli between nerves and muscles, foods rich in magnesium, such as broccoli, bananas or spinach, but also nuts, oatmeal and sunflower seeds, are particularly helpful. Taking special dietary supplements such as magnesium tablets can also lead to a reduction in symptoms. Also recommended are getting enough sleep and reducing stress. This is especially true for people who are generally sensitive to stressful situations. Various relaxation techniques such as yoga, autogenic training, meditation or progressive muscle relaxation can help to cope better with stress in everyday life. Herbal sedatives, such as valerian, can contribute to relaxation in the same way. It is also recommended to avoid the use of drugs and alcohol. If the twitching in the hand occurs during drug therapy, changing the drug may help the symptoms subside under certain circumstances.
