Is that dangerous?

Muscle twitching occurs in many people just like that without a dangerous background. However, an illness can also be the cause. Therefore, a muscle twitch should be clarified by a doctor in any case if the muscle twitches occur very frequently, restrict everyday life or if many twitches occur continuously without a break one after the other. Furthermore, a doctor should be consulted if the twitching is spread over several parts of the body and the twitching is very pronounced.

Muscle twitching in various places

A completely harmless cause for a twitching of the thumb can be an overloading of the thumb.The causes described above, such as stimulants, stress or medication, can also lead to a thumb twitch. A thumb tremor combined with a tremor of the entire hand can also indicate Parkinson’s disease. In this case the trembling of the hand is continuous.

In addition, there is a slowing down of movement and muscle stiffness. Here too, there is usually a harmless cause. For example, an overload of the muscles can trigger the twitching.

If the twitching occurs very frequently and in other parts of the body, it can also be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, this is rarely the cause. In the course of ALS, muscle weakness, paralysis and muscle atrophy also occur.

Muscular atrophy is a regression of the musculature. The muscles of the hand are often affected, especially the thumb muscles. You can find out more about the symptoms of this disease at: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisMuscle twitches in the fingers are usually harmless.

They can occur just like that or be triggered by stress. Stimulating substances can also cause the twitching. If the twitching is very pronounced, lasts for a long time and causes other symptoms, a doctor should be consulted, because behind a muscle twitch can also lie a serious illness.

Associated symptoms

Harmless muscle twitches in the hands are not usually accompanied by other symptoms. Although they can be very unpleasant, they do not usually cause pain. If the muscle twitches are very pronounced, a kind of muscle ache can occur.

If a magnesium deficiency is the cause, it can also lead to fatigue, digestive problems (e.g. diarrhoea) and headaches. In the case of serious diseases such as Parkinson’s or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), other symptoms typical of the disease occur in addition to the muscle twitches. Furthermore, the muscle twitches or tremor are spread over several parts of the body.

In Parkinson’s disease, in addition to the tremor, there is classically a slowing down of movement, muscle stiffness and a small-step gait. The cause is the destruction of cells in the brain that control movement. In ALS, further symptoms are increasing muscle weakness, which leads to paralysis as the disease progresses. In addition, there is a reduction in muscle mass and painful muscle cramps. Swallowing and speech disorders can also occur.