• Welcome to the Anxiety Community Forum, a friendly space for discussion, help and support with mental health issues. Please register to post and use the extra features available to members. Click here to register.Everyone is welcome!

So what causes whole body twitches if not ALS?

C

Concerned-pa

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
56
Reaction score
7
So I'm suffering/recovering from a lower back injury suffered a month ago. About two weeks ago, I started getting whole body twitches..a lot of them in my legs and some in my biceps and hands. Notice is mostly at night lying down. They are still present during the day, but it's still there during the day in some capacity.

I'm not overly concerned about ALS since I don't show any other symptoms, but it still worries me. I'm not on any medicine, I may be slightly.under hydrated, but nothing more than I usually am and I never had twitches before. Sometimes I worry maybe something is wrong with my spine more than just a disc issue or maybe a tumor, MS, etc. Thoughts?
 
J

Jennifer

Active Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
133
Reaction score
92
Benign Fasciculation syndrome Persistent twitching in one or more muscles is the most common symptom. Calves and thigh twitches are most common, and eyelids and arms can host involuntary twitches as well, but even the tongue can experience involuntary movement. Fasciculations may appear randomly and jump from one muscle group to another, or one muscle can be symptomatic for an extended period.
 
bin_tenn

bin_tenn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
Messages
3,497
Reaction score
2,050
Stress / anxiety can cause lots of twitching. So can overusing muscles. Then there's BFS which Jennifer mentioned. Lots of reasons, and none of them are ALS. I have never feared ALS and I've never researched it, but from what others have said before, I believe ALS often doesn't include twitching at all until later stages, by which time you would have much more obvious symptoms.
 
F

Fraser

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
768
Reaction score
546
Stress and anxiety can cause twitching and can make you focus on minor twitches to make them seem much worse than they are.

If you are worried, speak to a medical health professional. We should not be giving you assurance regarding symptoms, as we are not health professionals, but rather helping you recover with health anxiety.
 
C

Concerned-pa

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
56
Reaction score
7
Fraser said:
If you are worried, speak to a medical health professional. We should not be giving you assurance regarding symptoms, as we are not health professionals, but rather helping you recover with health anxiety.
Click to expand...
I talked to my doctor last week when I had an appointment. I told her about the muscle twitches in my legs at night and how they sometimes would go into my arms and hands. She didn't seem too concerned and thought maybe it was a pinched nerve.
 
E

E.B

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2019
Messages
1,018
Reaction score
485
Besides what others have said, I know it happened with me when I started back up an anti depressant med
 
C

Concerned-pa

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
56
Reaction score
7
Had a bad night. I've been sleeping on my back since my back injury and I don't really roll or move around during the night. I've noticed in the last week or two that when I wake up my legs feel very heavy and stiff to pick up off the bed. Once I have them off and I move around they're fine, but this happened in the middle of the night and I just started thinking about this being the beginning stages of muscle failure. This morning my right leg feels a little tired and little weak. And of course the muscle twitches were going last night as well. I kept trying to tell myself it's mostly anxiety but I just can't shake it.
 
J

Jennifer

Active Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
133
Reaction score
92
Concerned-pa said:
Had a bad night. I've been sleeping on my back since my back injury and I don't really roll or move around during the night. I've noticed in the last week or two that when I wake up my legs feel very heavy and stiff to pick up off the bed. Once I have them off and I move around they're fine, but this happened in the middle of the night and I just started thinking about this being the beginning stages of muscle failure. This morning my right leg feels a little tired and little weak. And of course the muscle twitches were going last night as well. I kept trying to tell myself it's mostly anxiety but I just can't shake it.
Click to expand...
Did you read ANY of the replies to your original post?

See? This is what I mean, time, effort and empathy go into responding and it did nothing to help you. A big fat ZERO.

You've got it in your head that you have ALS so go to the dr and request tests to confirm.
 
C

Concerned-pa

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
56
Reaction score
7
Jennifer said:
What is that showing?
Click to expand...
I'm still waiting on the doctor's report. I I was given a disk right after the appointment and came to work to look at it. It appears that I have three herniations and/or bulges in my lumbar region. To which have been there since 2007 at least when I had an MRI. I've been off and on symptomatic with my back pain since then but nothing as bad as it's been the last 5 weeks. The one looks like it's sticking out the most is probably a herniation now instead of just a bulge.
 
J

Jennifer

Active Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
133
Reaction score
92
I am sorry to hear that but you most likely have your answer right there, can you get off the ALS train now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top