Muscle twitching during pregnancy
During pregnancy, most women are very sensitive to changes in their bodies. An involuntary twitching of the muscles is also perceived and causes fear. In most cases, however, the cause of muscle twitching during pregnancy is harmless.
Often there is a magnesium deficiency behind it. During pregnancy there is an increased need for magnesium.One should therefore first increase the magnesium intake as part of the diet. However, magnesium tablets can also be useful. If the symptoms do not improve, you should definitely talk to a doctor about it.
How is muscle twitching diagnosed?
In order to determine the cause of the muscle twitching, it is first necessary to take a detailed medical history (anamnesis). The doctor will therefore ask which muscle groups are affected, how often the twitching occurs and how pronounced it is. In most cases, a suspected diagnosis can be made after the anamnesis. This is followed by a physical examination. If the doctor deems it necessary, further examinations can be carried out, such as measuring the nerve conduction velocity (ENG) or measuring the electrical muscle activity (EMG).
Muscle twitching after localization
Muscle twitching on the upper arm results in an uncontrollable contraction of an upper arm muscle or muscle group. Muscle twitching in the area of the extremities is frequent and in most cases has no disease value. Muscle twitching in the upper arm can therefore also occur in healthy people.
In most cases, muscle twitching on the upper arm can only be detected by a brief movement of the skin. It is rather rare that the arm moves unintentionally from its resting position. Ultimately, various factors can trigger a muscle twitch on the upper arm.
Often, overstrain caused by too intensive strength training of the arms or a lack of magnesium are responsible. Tension or cramps of the muscles due to poor posture can also lead to this. Therefore, it is advisable to protect the arm first and to replenish the body’s magnesium stores.
Then the muscle twitching usually also disappears. If this is not the case, it is time to consult a doctor, because serious diseases can always be hidden behind the muscle twitching in the upper arm. This is also the case if other symptoms such as pain, numbness or paralysis are added.
Muscle contractions that cannot be controlled arbitrarily can affect all muscle groups of the body and can therefore occur all over the body. Arms and legs as well as the face and abdomen can be affected. Depending on the severity of the condition, there is only a small visible movement of the skin.
In the case of stronger muscle twitches, there is sometimes a corresponding movement of the affected extremity or eye. This can be extremely stressful for the affected patient. In most cases, however, this muscle tremor does not hide a serious illness.
The cause is often harmless and mostly temporary. Stress and psychological strain often play a role. In rare cases, however, muscle twitching all over the body can also be an indication of a serious neurological disease (such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS)).
It is therefore recommended to consult a doctor if the muscle twitching increases. Muscle twitching in the calf results in involuntary movement of the calf muscles. Some patients also perceive this muscle twitching as calf cramps.
The causes are usually harmless. In most cases, the symptoms therefore disappear by themselves. However, serious diseases can also be hidden behind the muscle twitching.
On the one hand, this can be a nervous disease such as polyneuropathy. Here, several (poly) nerves are affected. The nerve damage impairs the motor response of the muscle fiber.
This is also the case with the diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS). But also herniated discs or narrowing of the spinal canal can damage nerves in the area of the spinal cord. This can lead to muscle twitches in the calf area.
In addition to these muscle twitches, there are often symptoms such as back pain, sensory disturbances or, in the worst case, even paralysis. However, the most common cause of muscle twitches in the calf is a disturbed mineral balance. The blood salts (electrolytes) such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium play an important role here.
A magnesium deficiency in particular leads to muscle twitches in the calf. It is therefore essential to take magnesium when there are muscle twitches in the calf. Eye twitching results in an uncontrollable movement of the eye muscles, usually in the form of eyelid twitching.
This is a very common phenomenon, and although the cause is usually harmless, most sufferers suffer considerably. Involuntary muscle twitches can occur all over the body.In the eye, however, the muscles are located directly under the skin, so a muscle twitch in the eye is perceived as particularly disturbing. Causes include stress, fatigue and magnesium deficiency as well as eye diseases and diseases of the central nervous system.
Therefore, if you experience eye twitching, you should first consult an eye doctor. This will rule out an eye infection. He can also check whether there is a visual impairment.
A defective vision can lead to overexertion of the eye and thus cause a twitching of the eyelid. If there is a need for further clarification, it is also advisable to consult a neurologist. The neurologist will examine whether there is a disease of the central nervous system such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy or a brain tumor.
However, these causes of muscle twitching in the eye are really rare. In principle, an involuntary contraction of the muscles can occur all over the body. However, such muscle twitches are particularly frequent in the extremities and especially in the legs.
These can be pronounced to varying degrees. Sometimes the muscle twitching is only perceived as a fine movement under the skin. This is called fasciculations in the technical language.
However, there are also cases in which the leg moves out of its resting position. This is usually harmless, especially when it occurs just before falling asleep. However, a restless legs syndrome (syndrome of restless legs) can always be behind it.
In this neurological disease, patients also complain of unpleasant sensations (tingling) in the legs and a pronounced urge to move. The causes of this disease have not yet been conclusively researched. However, it is assumed that, similar to Parkinson’s disease, there is a disorder of the dopamine metabolism in the brain.
It is possible to try a drug treatment. Here, too, the neurologist would be the appropriate contact person. A muscle twitching at the trunk of the body, e.g. at the stomach, is rather rare.
Here too, the focus is usually on harmless causes. Abdominal muscle twitching is most likely caused by stress and psychological strain. But a magnesium deficiency can also lead to these symptoms.
For this reason, abdominal muscle twitching often occurs after exercise or during pregnancy when there is an increased magnesium requirement. For this reason, magnesium should be taken first when muscle twitches on the abdomen occur. In most cases, the symptoms then also improve.
If this is not the case, it is advisable to consult a doctor. After a detailed medical history (anamnesis) and a physical examination, the doctor will arrange for further neurological examinations such as EMG (electromyography) or ENG (electroneurography) as well as sectional imaging (CT, MRT) or an examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (liquor analysis). Muscle twitching occurs particularly frequently in the upper arm.
The muscle cells are activated by a malfunction of the nervous system, without any intentional influence. In most cases, these twitches disappear again after a short time. Often psychological strain and stress are the cause.
Tiredness or overload after too intensive weight training can also be responsible for the muscle twitches. Finally, a magnesium deficiency is often also present. However, this disturbance in the electrolyte balance can easily be remedied by an increased intake of magnesium.
Especially in phases of increased magnesium consumption, whether during pregnancy or after sports, one should take magnesium (e.g. in tablet form). However, if other symptoms, such as pain or sensitivity disorders, occur, a doctor should be consulted urgently. In this case, there may well be a serious illness behind it.
The muscle twitching in the upper arm can then be an expression that the corresponding nerve is constricted by a herniated disc in the neck area. Neurological diseases are also conceivable. As a rule, however, the causes of muscle twitching in the upper arm are harmless.
If muscle twitches occur in the face, most patients find them extremely disturbing. This is because the skin on the face is particularly thin. Therefore, even discrete muscle twitches are well perceived.
Especially when the twitching occurs around the eyes and leads to a twitching of the eyelid, the patients suffer greatly. Again, the muscle twitches usually disappear by themselves. Magnesium can be taken to prevent a possible magnesium deficiency.Besides emotional strain and stress, muscle twitching in the face can also be an indication of a tic disorder.
A distinction is made between motor and vocal tics. Motor tics are involuntary repeated contractions of individual muscles or muscle groups. This disorder occurs more frequently in children and adolescents than in adults.
The disease can be treated with psychotherapy or medication. In most cases, an atypical neuroleptic is used if the course of the disease is pronounced. The contact person for diagnosis and therapy of the disease is the neurologist.
A muscle twitch in the knee is often harmless. A magnesium deficiency or overloading after excessive strength training are common causes. In these cases, the twitching in the knee should improve after a few days.
However, it is also possible that a pinched nerve is responsible for the muscle twitching. In this case, however, other symptoms such as pain or sensory disturbances usually occur as well. In this case you should consult a doctor.
It can also be an orthopedic problem. Sometimes bulging disc tissue presses on a nerve root near the spinal cord. One can also think of neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS).
In most cases, however, muscle twitches in the knee are absolutely harmless and disappear by themselves. Muscle twitching at the hand usually leads to a minimal movement of the thumb. This usually has no disease value, but is perceived by patients as extremely disturbing.
Stress and emotional strain are often the trigger for the complaints. However, these usually disappear again by themselves. If this is not the case, one should consult a doctor.
A twitching eyelid is also known in the vernacular as a “nervous eye”. A short-term nervous disorder activates the muscles in the eye and causes them to contract. This is not subject to voluntary control at this moment.
As the term “nervous eye” suggests, stress and emotional strain are often the triggers for this. The eyelid twitching therefore usually improves after some time of its own accord. Even if it is not serious, many patients find it absolutely disturbing.
If the muscle twitching on the eyelid persists, one should therefore consult a neurologist, since a neurological disease, e.g. a tic disorder, could also be behind it. The muscles at the lip can also be activated by a faulty nerve impulse and a muscle twitch at the lip can occur. The cause is in most cases absolutely harmless. Often stress or psychological stress factors are behind it. The twitching therefore usually improves by itself in the course of time.
