Definition
Practically everyone notices muscle twitches in certain areas of the body from time to time, i.e. spontaneous, involuntary contractions of individual muscles or muscle groups. After the eyelids and legs, the upper arm is one of the most frequent places where muscle twitches occur. As a rule, muscle twitching is considered completely harmless and disappears by itself after a short time. In rare cases, however, a serious neurological disorder may be the cause of the muscle twitches.
Causes
In the majority of cases, no specific cause for the muscle twitching can be identified and the symptoms disappear by themselves within a short time. The most likely triggers in these cases are stress and emotional strain. Tangible causes of muscle twitching in the upper arm mainly include slipped discs in the cervical spine and MS (multiple sclerosis).
Both diseases can trigger not only muscle twitching but also other symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness or paralysis by damaging the nerves responsible for the arm or their nerve sheaths. They can best be identified by means of imaging examinations (especially MRI). Electrolyte disorders are also regarded as possible causes of muscle twitching, especially a magnesium deficiency.
This is usually considered harmless and can be eliminated very easily. Such a deficiency can occur during pregnancy. Theoretically, muscle twitching in the upper arm can also be a first indication of MS (multiple sclerosis), but such complaints are only in the rarest cases actually due to MS. Other causes are far more likely and should be investigated as a matter of priority.
In the beginning, MS is more likely to manifest itself in the form of temporary visual or sensory disturbances such as numbness or tingling of the skin. It is only in the late stages of MS that muscle twitching can occur, but by this time the diagnosis of MS is usually long established. A possible cause of muscle twitching in the upper arm is also a slipped disc in the cervical spine.
Here, parts of the intervertebral discs “slip” from their intended place between the vertebral bodies to the front or to the side and can compress the spinal cord or nerve roots. Since the nerve tracts responsible for the arm emerge from the spinal cord in the cervical spine, a herniated disc in the cervical spine mainly leads to symptoms in the arms. These symptoms include tingling sensations or even paralysis and muscle twitches. In addition, pain in the upper arm and shoulder area often occurs, which is sometimes described by those affected as “electrifying”.
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