Calf Twitching: Worried or Normal?

[Buckety123456]

Hi people,

Sorry to trouble you again, I'm just having a bit of a crisis at the moment, I thought I was strong and have been reading up on an als forum looking for reassurance/information but have managed to scare myself by reading of people who’s first symptom was twitching not weakness.

From you reading and knowledge what do you think; It is now 9 weeks since my calf started going crazy, I’m told that it does show slight signs of wastage but I can’t see it, I am still cycling as normal (34 miles last Sunday 26 yesterday plus training 2 nights per week on the turbo trainer) and don’t feel and weakness, I can walk on my heels, on my toes and walk heel to toe. The area below the calf muscle about 4 inches above the inner ankle seems to be enlarged and when I tense my calf by standing on my toes this sticks out much more than on the other side. Could this be a muscle which is increasing in size to the extra activity, if so that would be very good news, yes?
Recently the thigh above my fasciculating calf has started to twitch, just little twitches one or two at a time, also I have a numb/stretched feeling in my left forehead and lots of random twitches / jerks when relaxing especially when dropping off to sleep.

Any comments welcomed apart from don’t look on als sites (I know it was a stupid thing to do - sorry).

Pete

 

[shitlord]

I was at a golf outing last week with a few high school buddies that I have not seen in ages. Anyway, we had been drinking the night before and I was twitching really bad in my fingers. Out of the blue, my buddy says I can't stand these twitches I get in my calves - I've had them for years. He showed me his leg and it was twitching like crazy. I did not tell him about my twitches and obsession about MND. My point is that this guy has been twitching for years and probably has no idea that twitching can be a sign of something bad. Therefore he carries on happy as a clam. You and I have researched the topic and are super sensitve about every little twitch/measurement/sensation, etc.

My calves look different when I flex them - so do my wifes. I doubt if you could go that far on a bike with ***. Have you tried anything for your anxiety?

 

[MarksmanS]

Pete,

This is most likely not a mnd. Your reflexes, babinski, etc are fine. You might have a pinched nerve which is causing this and that is FAR more likely. Or even a tumor if you want to freak out more But based on what I read you should STOP going to als sites...you don't have als. A pinched nerve, tumor, and probably a bunch of other stuff I don't know about can cause a muscle to twitch and even atrophy...but that can be fixed.

Don't forget too that als usually starts in the hands or feet...not the calf. You will learn more tomorrow. Let me know. I'll pray for you tonight be sure of it.

Mark

 

[TrisTrip]

Pretty common Pete. I’ve had different shaped calves for years. Sometimes my twitching will move to my quads, sometimes my gluteus, random everywhere else – Typical BFS stuff.

I’ve read about the twitching before ALS too, but I can find conclusive evidence that it is an “early sign” of ALS. Indeed, fasciculation’s without weakness are specifically excluded (in medical literature) as a symptom of ALS for this reason.

I have no doubt that someone somewhere has developed twitching preceding ALS, thus resulting in the conclusion that their twitching was a precursor to the deadly disease. This occurrence is unusual enough to be extremely rare for an already rare disease.

No… it is far, far, far, far, more likely (did I say far?) that you have benign twitching.

As you already know, but I’ll say it again, I had severe twitching coupled with sensory symptoms for the better part of a year. I am now almost fully recovered and I owe my recovery to “getting back on the horse” of life.

I still twitch, but I don’t normally care. Sometimes I get annoyed but now I can control how I feel about being out of control of my muscles.

Is your coordination off? – No
Are you weak? – No
Have you any symptoms of ALS? – No

O Pete! I know what you’re thinking (bad Pete, PAD!) – Your thinking:

“Booooya! That’s where you’re wrong Jeff for I’ve got muscle wasting. See, right there… Can’t you see it?... Look closer… closer… closer. Right there… where my pinky finger is… It’s clear as the single cell organism on your nose.”

No you don’t Pete. No you don’t. If you’re uncertain of your muscle wasting then you don’t likely have it. Hmmmm… better yet… If you’re certain that you have muscle wasting then you don’t have it. – I was certain of my muscle wasting at one time too.

Jeff