hey guys, yesterday i had done my 3rd EMG. but i'm still worried... it all started in january '11. very painfull stiffness and cramps in my calves while running. muscles began to twitch in april '11. first right eyebrow (where it actually stopped, very stressful situation at this time), then it came down to the tighs, calves and especially the feet. stiffness increased, so that normal walking was very exhausting. after 3-4weeks it started everywhere: arms, thumps, neck, back, bum, above the ears, etc. so, today i experience widespread twitches with focus on the limbs(feet!) i developed a huge MS/spasticity (family member got MS) fear, but after several evoked potentials and MRI, i accpet not having MS. the stiffness and tension decreased. but..., with the good news the situation got worse, because i knew about ALS, dr. google confirmed my assumption and i broke out in panik. i visited my neuro in september '11 and told him about my symptoms, but not my ALS fear. she did NCV/EMG in my left calve. (EMG was only 60 sec. long?). She said everything is fine, but she offered me to visit the university hospital to rule out very rare diseases... i agreed. she called the hospital and made me an appointment in dec '11... too long i thougt, so i visited a second neuro. she performed a second EMG. now in the right calve and shin muscle. everything ok. she diagnosed my symptoms as psyichosomatic and sent me home. while i waited for the third appointed, my twitches increased especially in the feet. i can elicit cramps and tiwchtes in the arch by tapping on the muscle or by erxeting it. yesterday i had my appointment. i explained them my symptoms and demonstrated how i can elicet twitches/cramps. the neuro said"ok, we need to do several tests." that ment NCV/EMG. NCV was alright. BUT now the strange part i showed the neuro and her assitant the twitches and cramps in my feet, i was pretty sure that they would examine my feet but they DIDN'T. They did the needle EMG in my left and right shin muscles. the neuro put the needle in and tapped the muscle with his finger (probably to elicit fibs and psw's), but the emg monitor's line was quite... "everything is normal" she said and sent me home without a diagnose. now i'm almost more concerned than before. why did i dare to ask her about my feet??? BIG *beep* *beep*!! and to be honestly i didn't recognize twitches in my shin muscles over the year (maybe it twichted some times but i cannot really remember it). was this emg entire *beep* and should i head for a fourth one?? pls guys give me some advice. i apologize for this confusingly written text and my bad school english... to me: - male, 21, normal bmi, sporty guy, knowing more about MS/ALS than some neuro students do...- widespread twitches especially in the lower limbs- sometimes crampy feet and stiff calves- no weakness, about 10 normal clincal exams- 3 clean emg's ( shin and calve)- sometimes needle attacks in the limbs and testicals (yes testicals) as if i were listining to good music...- cold and (sometimes) shaky hands
3rd EMG Worries: Jan '11 Onward
- Thread starter mfj
- Start date
Your case is similar to mine in many respects. You do not have ALS. I cannot understand how you have had 3 emgs and don't believe that. Your age, the fact that you are athletic, the clinicals, emgs,etc all very much point to a benign condition. Stop worrying! I know that's very difficult to do...took me years 
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)My neuro wouldn't do an EMG on my foot, even though I have twitching there. He said there's always lots of "traffic" in a foot and most people would have a bad EMG there. Besides, he said, the nerve is the same for the calf/leg as it is for the foot. I wouldn't worry about it at all - you've had 3 EMGs. You're fine!!!Mitra
christinasgirl123
Well-known member
Hi Timmo, hey, another Emilyomouse 
We are a whole bunch of those. You do not need a fourth EMG, and for sure not in your feet. Why not feet? Because it is not only normal to have fasciculations in feet, there are also often fibs and positive sharp waves, so most neuros don't do it there. Everything points to bfs, believe me, I had all the stiffness and I can easily induce cramps in my arches. Not to mention my overall pain and twitching also in my tongue......All BFS. It is a nuisance but it is not ALS.
We are a whole bunch of those. You do not need a fourth EMG, and for sure not in your feet. Why not feet? Because it is not only normal to have fasciculations in feet, there are also often fibs and positive sharp waves, so most neuros don't do it there. Everything points to bfs, believe me, I had all the stiffness and I can easily induce cramps in my arches. Not to mention my overall pain and twitching also in my tongue......All BFS. It is a nuisance but it is not ALS."The aim of this study was to investigate the fasciculation potentials (FPs) in the small-peripheral muscles of the foot and hand and the possible associated factors, in a healthy population. One hundred-twenty-two normal individuals (65 men and 57 women), aged 17-67 years (mean 39.96, SD=12.76) participated in the study. A special questionnaire consisting of 47 questions was devised as the basic instrument of the interview, which included the Hamilton anxiety rating scale. The extensor digitorum brevis (EDB), the flexor hallucis brevis (FHB) and the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles were studied bilaterally using surface electrodes. In 94 (58 men and 36 women) from 122 participants (65 men and 57 women) FPs were recorded (men 89.2%, women 63.1%, all 77%). The mean FPs per minute and muscle, in all three muscles, was 8.0 (SD=4.6). More FPs were recorded in the muscles of foot than in FDI (p<0.01) and in FHB than in EDB (p<0>0.1, p<0.01). The syndrome of benign FPs was observed in 2 men (1.6% of men). These results suggest that FPs are a very common phenomenon in the peripheral muscles of healthy persons."this study shows how "normal" foot and hand twitching is... even in pepole without bfs!greetings from dresden, Smiley_20
christinasgirl123
Well-known member
Jerry, I told you about this study , if you do not believe me, believe Sylvia 
Yes, fasciculation potentials are the electrical signals that occur when a fasciculation is happening, so it is "quasi" the same. Do you say quasi in english?? Means you can really regard it as the same, although there is a difference between them when you look at is scientifically.
Yes, fasciculation potentials are the electrical signals that occur when a fasciculation is happening, so it is "quasi" the same. Do you say quasi in english?? Means you can really regard it as the same, although there is a difference between them when you look at is scientifically.RainCat: my feet do exactly the same if I bend big toe a little to use some muscle not whole then it starts twitching similar to your third video.But the point was if most people twitch 8 times a minute in the foot. I was looking my wife foot when she is relaxed and it doesn't "move", I am looking many foot in sauna and they don't move. I guess it is BFS that makes you waves like that. Before october my foot didn't move.Or maybe this are fasciculations there that you can not see or feel. But I never had 8 twitches in a minute in foot. I still don't, I still have "only" about 2-3 a minute in one foot and in the other less than one a minute. Before I didn't have this phenomen.
hey all, thx for your posts. yeah, i try to accept it. sometimes i'm of the opinion that i need a further EMG in my upper limbs, but i read some posts of people, who didn't had a single one... so i decided to let go (twitch). @christinasgirl123: hey, yeah Emilyomouse power may i ask you some questions?.. how old are you? what were your first symptoms? did you have an EMG? and what was/is your eperience with stiffness(not cramps). when do you have it? how long does it last (minutes, hours, days)? does it become better or worse while walking or sitting? i also watched your "atrophy " pics and i really had to laugh. in comparison to my hands, your "dents" look very cute ) i got huge and long crater in my thumbs and similar to yours, i only get'em, if i extend my thump entirely. i also thought that this is atrophy... but last weeks appointment calmed me down. the doctor examined my thumbs very carefully and found no abnormality, at least she didn't say anything... in addition to that, this weekend we had a big family meeting. and while we were eating and discussing some issues, i observed all those "arguing" hands. quite funny to watch hands... i recognized the same dents in my stepbrother's thumbs and i guess he doesn't care about it at all ( i bet he hasn't even noticed them...).
may i ask you some questions?.. how old are you? what were your first symptoms? did you have an EMG? and what was/is your eperience with stiffness(not cramps). when do you have it? how long does it last (minutes, hours, days)? does it become better or worse while walking or sitting? i also watched your "atrophy " pics and i really had to laugh. in comparison to my hands, your "dents" look very cute ) i got huge and long crater in my thumbs and similar to yours, i only get'em, if i extend my thump entirely. i also thought that this is atrophy... but last weeks appointment calmed me down. the doctor examined my thumbs very carefully and found no abnormality, at least she didn't say anything... in addition to that, this weekend we had a big family meeting. and while we were eating and discussing some issues, i observed all those "arguing" hands. quite funny to watch hands... i recognized the same dents in my stepbrother's thumbs and i guess he doesn't care about it at all ( i bet he hasn't even noticed them...).OMG!! I'm so with you! Your words are balm for my soul. As i already mentioned: Stiffness was my major problem. Not in the hands, but in the calves. I also had difficulties to stand or walk. It was so tight and somehow painfull... My situation got worse and worse. I didn't walk 100m a day... believe me it was such a vicious circle... i was so heavily convinced of having a serious CNS-disease. Until I'd my MRI done. From that point of time my stiffness improved (nevertheless I twitched like crazy...) Now, I'm able to go to the gym or to run some miles...What about you, did you experience some improvements? Do you take any supplements?
christinasgirl123
Well-known member
Hmm, some improvement in the legs for sure, but I have frequent leg pain relapses. And a lot of stiffness there. My hands are still bad, although the tremor got better...I am seeing a Fibromyalgia specialist in January so I will see what he "puts me on". At the moment I do not take anything, I have been on Zoloft for a while to deal with my ALSfears in the beginnings.