Muscle twitches, muscle tremors, fasciculations, or more colloquially, muscle twitches, occur in varying degrees of severity and can either involve clearly visible movement or be visually unnoticeable. In part, they are symptoms of a disease; however, they can also represent a disease themselves. A differentiated diagnosis is therefore imperative in cases of frequent muscle twitching.
What is muscle twitching?
By the term muscle twitch, physicians usually mean involuntary contractions of the muscles. This can affect many different muscle groups. By the term muscle twitch, physicians usually mean involuntary contractions of the musculature. Many different muscle groups can be affected, including the facial muscles and those of the limbs. The twitches can be rhythmic and regular, or they can occur once or at irregular intervals. How frequently and intensely the muscle twitching occurs depends on the individual cause. If the contractions produce clearly visible movements, physicians speak of myoclonias; if there is no actual movement, the twitches are called fasciculations. Muscle twitching does not always have to have a pathological cause. The so-called limb twitches that fall asleep, which occur in about 70% of the population, are considered a medically harmless phenomenon.
Causes
Muscle twitching can have harmless and natural causes. For example, severe stress or mental imbalance can cause temporary twitching of individual muscle parts. Under certain circumstances, however, the muscle contractions can also be caused by a pathological disorder. Neurological problems in particular can manifest themselves through involuntary muscle twitching. Poisoning, for example by heavy metals or alcohol, can also cause noticeable muscle twitching. Epileptics often suffer from sometimes strong muscle contractions; however, their occurrence always depends on the exact type of epilepsy. Under certain circumstances, excessive muscle twitching may also be due to an inflammation of the brain. To rule out a dangerous condition, frequent muscle twitching should be medically investigated.
Diseases with this symptom
- Poisoning
- Parkinson’s disease
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Wilson’s disease
- Magnesium deficiency
- Alcohol intoxication
- Tic and Tourette’s syndrome
- Febrile seizure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Epilepsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Brain inflammation
- Circulatory disorders
Diagnosis and course
If strikingly frequent and / or severe muscle twitching occurs, it is advisable to see a doctor. With the help of special examination methods, specialists can find out whether the contractions have a pathological cause and where exactly it is. In a detailed discussion, the frequency, intensity and possible other symptoms are first discussed. This is followed by a comprehensive examination of the patient. If no trigger for the muscle twitching can be determined in this way, the physician may order an EEG to measure brain activity or an EMG to measure muscle activity. In this way, it can be determined whether epilepsy is present. Likewise, it can be diagnosed whether the causes of muscle twitching are nervous or muscular.
Complications
Muscle twitching causes many people to experience internal stress. In particularly severe cases, anxiety and panic set in as the organism takes an uncontrollable action that leads to overwhelm. Although the muscle twitching is not perceived by outsiders in most cases, the affected person believes that the other person notices the twitching and that he is being observed. A feeling of one’s own weakness often sets in. Especially when dealing with superiors, the stress experience often increases additionally. Restlessness, hecticness or nervousness set in. In this state, the error rate increases when performing tasks. Forgetfulness sets in and blood pressure rises. People with a cardiovascular problem may suffer a heart attack in severe cases. Muscle twitching is a sign of deficiency in the organism.If this is not adequately followed up, further complaints occur or the muscle twitching increases. If the affected muscle is immobilized by surgery, damage to the nerves can occur during the procedure. These trigger pain or cause a feeling of numbness in the affected region. Other muscle fibers may suffer injury or an allergic reaction may occur as a result of your procedure. The muscle twitching attracts an immediate attention of the affected person. His thoughts begin to circle and he is distracted.
When should you go to the doctor?
An occasional muscle twitch is quite natural and not yet a reason to see a doctor. With regular muscle twitching, on the other hand, a visit to the doctor is unavoidable to be able to rule out diseases. If the muscle twitching is accompanied by pain, a visit to the doctor should not be long in coming, as a possible nerve disease could be the trigger. A neurologist should then be consulted. He will first want to find out how often and under what conditions muscle twitching occurs. He will also be interested in the patient’s medical history. Pre-existing conditions that have been associated with nerve injury will be of great importance to the neurologist in finding the cause. These include epilepsy, for example, or other complaints such as burning muscles, painful muscles or fever. But not only a nerve disease can be behind frequent muscle twitching. Medications can also be a trigger for unexplained muscle twitching. To rule this out, the neurologist will take an accurate data record of the medications the patient is taking.
Treatment and therapy
Once a diagnosis has been made, the attending specialist can initiate appropriate therapy. For example, if epilepsy has been identified as the trigger of the muscle twitch, drug therapy is initiated in most cases to prevent the onset of symptoms. Surgery of the affected brain region is also possible in individual cases. Brain inflammation must be treated urgently with medication to avoid a life-threatening condition. Under certain circumstances, the severe nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS for short, can be accompanied by severe muscle twitching. In this case, comprehensive treatment including physiotherapy and occupational therapy is necessary to keep the incurable disease within a tolerable range for as long as possible. If, after a comprehensive examination, the specialist determines that the muscle twitching is not due to any pathological causes, a change in the individual’s living conditions can be recommended, among other things. Reducing stress factors and eating a balanced diet can help improve well-being and reduce muscle twitching. If the muscle twitching is accompanied by painful cramps, additional attention should be paid to an adequate magnesium intake. If necessary, the doctor can prescribe appropriate preparations and give helpful tips.
Outlook and prognosis
The outlook for muscle twitching depends greatly on the severity of the symptom itself. In many cases, the patient’s life is only weakly affected by the muscle twitch. However, severe muscle twitching can negatively affect certain activities, so the quality of life is greatly diminished by the symptom. As a rule, a doctor should always be consulted if this symptom persists. Due to the muscle twitching, the patient often suffers from additional stress and panic attacks. Not infrequently, the disease cannot be properly assessed by outsiders, as it appears to them like a physical or mental disability. This can lead to teasing and bullying, especially among children. In these cases, seeing a psychologist is necessary. Often, due to muscle twitching, accidents occur or mistakes are made when operating equipment, machines or vehicles. The muscles themselves may feel numb for a period of time. In most cases, the treatment is physiotherapy with drug support. It leads to success in most cases and can also prevent cramps and further secondary damage. Often, the symptom can already be limited by the intake of magnesium and does not lead to further discomfort or complications.
Prevention
Since muscle twitching can be a symptom of many diseases or can occur completely naturally, prevention in the actual sense is not possible.However, a healthy lifestyle naturally supports well-being and can also prevent possible diseases. If noticeably frequent and/or strong muscle twitching is detected that persists over a longer period of time, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible in any case. If there is actually an underlying disease, it can generally be better treated if diagnosed at an early stage.
What you can do yourself
Many different measures can be taken against benign muscle twitching to alleviate the symptoms. One of the most common causes is an excess of stress as well as mental illness. Here it is important to compensate as soon as possible to thus reduce cortisol levels. Relaxation exercises such as autogenic training as well as yoga or Qi Gong can help. Also walks, listening to soft music as well as sports like swimming or running help to relax nerves and muscles. If you are open to alternative healing methods, you could also try Bach flower therapy. Special combination preparations are available. Homeopathically prepared plant extracts also promise support. Sleep patterns should also be checked. A lack of sleep creates stress for the body and cortisol levels remain elevated. Sleep rituals and a pleasant sleeping atmosphere help to find peace and to get the important night sleep. If a magnesium deficiency is behind the uncontrolled muscle twitches, help can also be found quickly. On the one hand, pharmacies offer over-the-counter capsules or powders as dietary supplements – these are based on easily absorbable magnesium citrate – and on the other hand, magnesium-rich foods can be incorporated into the diet: these include spinach, beans, oatmeal and nuts. So-called “magnesium robbers” – such as white flour – should be avoided. The consumption of alcohol or drugs can also cause neuronal disorders. Likewise, an excess of caffeine can have a detrimental effect. If muscle twitching is present, these substances should be avoided.
