Twitching in the Arm: Causes, Treatment & Help

If a twitch is felt in the arm, nerve impulses are randomly irritating the muscle cells. These uncontrollable discharges of the nerves can have various causes, but have a disturbing effect on the affected person. If the twitches do not go away on their own after a short time, pinched nerves, deficiency symptoms, circulatory disorders or even medication can be considered as triggers, for example.

What are twitches in the arm?

If a twitch is felt in the arm, nerve impulses are randomly irritating the muscle cells. These uncontrollable discharges of the nerves can have various causes. Twitching in the arm refers to sudden onset twitches that occur involuntarily and cannot be controlled. Irritation of the nerve cells can cause erroneous movement signals to be sent to the arms. There are very weak twitches that are only slightly noticeable. Furthermore, however, there are also very strong twitches that bring the arm itself out of its resting position and cause it to move. If the arm is just in a controlled movement, it can slip off distracted by the additional twitching. Twitching in the arm affects quality of life and can cause a great deal of distress depending on the severity and extent. Most commonly, muscle twitching in the arm is visible only as a brief movement on the skin. These twitches can also occur in completely healthy people, for example after very intense sports training of the arms.

Causes

Often, twitching in the arm hides a relatively harmless cause. Thus, psychological strain or tension, stress or magnesium deficiency can cause mild muscle twitching. Substances such as alcohol or caffeine can also trigger twitching if taken in a certain amount. The resulting twitches are usually only temporary and often disappear on their own. However, if the twitching in the arm persists over a longer period of time or occurs repeatedly, a more serious illness may be behind it. It can then be a muscle disease (myopathies) or a polyneuropathy. Furthermore, the twitching in the arm can also be caused by a nerve disease. If the twitching is also associated with pain sensations or sensory disturbances, this could be due to a neurological disease that requires urgent treatment. Brain injuries, circulatory disorders, viral diseases, diabetes mellitus or orthopedic diseases with nerve irritation can also cause twitching in the arm. Certain psychotropic drugs in particular cause twitching in the arms as a side effect. Diseases that trigger twitching continue to include epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and essential tremor.

Diseases with this symptom

  • Magnesium deficiency
  • Viral diseases
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Myopathy
  • Circulatory disorders
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Polyneuropathy
  • Epilepsy
  • Parkinson’s disease

Diagnosis and progression

Twitching in the arm is not always a simple symptom. Often, the doctor must also diagnose extensively to find the appropriate cause. First, the affected person is asked how often and in what intensity the twitching in the arm occurs. It is also important to mention any triggering events, such as injuries, examinations of the nerves or strong psychological stress. Known previous illnesses are asked about. This is followed by a thorough physical and, if necessary, neurological examination. By electrical measurements of the nerve and muscle reflexes, the doctor can detect or exclude certain diseases. Various methods can be used to measure nerve conduction velocity, electrical activity in the muscle and brain (electroneurography, electromyography, electroencephalography). Depending on the findings of the examination, further examination options may become necessary. For example, a computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Furthermore, X-rays, the removal of muscle tissue, or blood and urine tests may be necessary. In addition, the blood vessels can be examined in detail, there may be an orthopedic examination, allergy tests or even psychiatric examination.

Complications

Twitching in the arm can occur for many different reasons, which is why complications cannot be universally predicted. In most cases, however, they arise from stress and overuse of the muscles. If the muscles are not relaxed and strained even further, this can lead to inflammation or infection that must be treated by a doctor. Often the twitching in the arm restricts the patient’s everyday life relatively strongly. Ordinary things can no longer be done easily, so that participation in social events is also no longer possible. This can lead to exclusion. Twitching in the arm can also indicate diseases of the blood circulation or diabetes. In this case, treatment is possible, which leads to a positive course of the disease. Often, simple relaxation exercises also lead to the symptom subsiding. If the twitching in the arm occurs in epilepsy or seizures, an emergency doctor must be called immediately. This is generally a dangerous situation for the body, which must be treated without fail. If the twitches in the arm occur before falling asleep they are usually harmless and do not lead to further discomfort or complications.

When should you go to the doctor?

Twitching in the arm can occur for many different reasons, and quite often should even be treated by a doctor. In most cases, twitching in the arm is caused by unaccustomed physical exertion. Said twitching then occurs immediately after the unaccustomed activity. However, the twitches should also disappear on their own after a few hours. However, if the twitching persists, then a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. Only an early examination can detect a possibly serious underlying disease and treat it accordingly. In many cases, there is a certain nutrient deficiency that triggers twitching in the arm. In such a case, an appropriate physician can prescribe tablets to compensate for the existing nutrient deficiency. However, anyone who completely forgoes medical treatment in such a case exposes themselves to a great risk. In all likelihood, other medical conditions will develop if the nutrient deficiency is not corrected. These include headaches, nausea, an elevated temperature or even vomiting. If you want to avoid the complications just mentioned, you should seek medical treatment at an early stage. Thus, short-term twitching in the arm is completely normal and does not require medical examination or treatment. However, if the twitching in the arm occurs permanently, this should definitely be examined by a doctor.

Treatment and therapy

Treatment for twitching in the arm depends on the underlying cause. If nerves are pinched, acupuncture and physical therapy may help. However, if a tumor is pressing on the tissue and thus pinching nerves, there is no way around surgery. If magnesium deficiency is the cause, this can be easily remedied by a sensible change in diet and the intake of magnesium-containing dietary supplements. Circulatory disorders are usually treated with medication. The doctor prescribes medications that stimulate the flow properties of the blood. Once psychological causes have been identified, individual changes in lifestyle can help. Furthermore, relaxation exercises, yoga, autogenic training, plenty of exercise in the fresh air through long walks or running. In the case of more serious psychological problems, psychotherapy or behavioral therapy can also help to regain mental balance. If the problem is a side effect of psychopharmaceutical drugs, these should be discontinued or replaced by alternative drugs. For many more serious conditions, such as epilepsy, surgical intervention in the brain region can be helpful. If there is no disease requiring treatment behind the twitching in the arm, it will soon go away on its own.

Outlook and prognosis

Twitching in the arm is not a clinical picture, but merely an occurring symptom. It is quite difficult to give an accurate prognosis of the course of this symptom, because the exact cause must first be determined. In most cases, twitching in the arm is completely harmless and will disappear on its own even if not treated.If the twitching in the arm is caused by a magnesium deficiency, then appropriate tablets should be taken. In this way, the magnesium deficit can be made up. In other cases, the twitching in the arm is caused by an unusual overload. After the said stress, there may be twitching in the arm at rest, but it should stop after several hours. Therefore, medical or drug treatment is not necessary. Thus, twitching in the arm is usually completely harmless, so no medical treatment is necessary. However, if the twitching in the arm is triggered by a magnesium deficiency, then appropriate tablets can be resorted to. After taking them, the twitching will stop promptly and no further discomfort is to be expected in this context.

Prevention

Twitching in the arm can be prevented only to a limited extent, since the causes are quite broad. In general, stress should be avoided in any case. A healthy lifestyle and diet are also good starting points to avoid psychologically induced twitching in the arm.

What you can do yourself

Twitching in the arm, which is not disease-related, can be prevented by various measures. In a large number of cases, a balanced diet helps to reduce the extent of twitching or even eliminate it altogether. Since magnesium is responsible for a balanced transmission of stimuli between the nerves and muscles, the consumption of foods rich in magnesium is recommended. Vegetables and fruits such as spinach, peas, broccoli or bananas contain particularly high levels of magnesium. Nuts, oatmeal and sunflower seeds are also rich in magnesium. Taking the appropriate dietary supplements, such as magnesium tablets, can also be sufficient to remedy the twitching in the arm. Furthermore, alcohol and drugs should be avoided. If the cause of the twitching is a pinched nerve, the symptom can be counteracted by physiotherapy or acupuncture, for example. If the cause is more psychological, a change in current life circumstances, autogenic training, yoga, exercise in the fresh air or other relaxation exercises can be helpful. Since the twitching is often due to a harmless cause, reducing negative stress is usually enough to successfully counteract the symptom.