Can I Induce Twitches?

[Nocturniscope]

Is there anybody here who can induce twitches by poking on the muscle?I have this on my thenar eminences (more easier to do on the left one) and this is making me very very worried.

 

[HoneybeeBzzz]

When my face muscles are really active, I can like, touch my eyelid, or eyebrow, whatever it may be and make them start going off. I would say that is similar to poking.

 

[JohnnyRocket]

Darr hit the nail on the head. Beyond that, I have been able to induce twitching at times via multiple methods. Not sure if I've ever tried poking. I'll have to remember that one for next time I'm bored with time to kill.

 

[Nocturniscope]

I can induce them only on my thenars. Sometimes very small twitches, sometimes very strong twitches, sometimes nothing. there are times when the twitches are so strong they move my thumb quite hard.I am only one year with with fasciculations.

 

[twinTwosome]

Sure can. Especially on my hands. Thumbs and muscle under pinkie. I can induce it, but I don't because it freaks me out. Stop doing that!

 

[BramTyBram]

i was catching up on my post reading and saw Randy's question and i thought i should answer this one. The proper amount of time that needs to pass on worrying is the second your doctor says what you have is not life threatening. Once the test are done and the diagnosis is made, you should have your quality of life back and learn to deal with the symptoms you have knowing you are ok outside of the issues your syptoms cause you. Anything else is wasting the time that is so precious to each of us. Its not easy, i know, otherwise i wouldn't even keep coming back and reading post. i have 11 months in and it does get better to deal with.oh and on the poking issue, i will play my neuro on this one, WHY WOULD YOU POKE YOURSELF. The reason i say that is not to be cruel but i was freaked out months ago because when i put my teeth together in the front they rattled, his comment was WHY WOULD YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER LIKE THAT, ITS NOT NATURAL.

 

[TwitchyMD]

Nocturniscope, I do not have fasciculations in calves either. I do have them in the thigs a few times per day, but mainly upper body. And yes, sometimes I can induce fasciculations in my thenars and sometimes shoulders by poking or grabbing that muscle. I have read about it several times on this forum..

 

[GlitterFountain]

One of the first things I was told was "these twitches can be provoked." This was at the Cleveland Clinic and the doctor called it "benign myoclonus."

 

[TwitchyMD]

GlitterFountain, are you sure about that? Myoclonus is pretty different from fasciculations. In myoclonic jerks, whole muscle (or even muscles forming a group) twitches. In layperson terms, you would not see "bundles" of your muscle twitching under your skin as your whole muscle would twitch. Did he not say myokymia?

 

[GlitterFountain]

To answer Twitchy Doc's question, I've been told benign myoclonus, myokymia, partial epilepsy or, my personal favorite, "I don't know." So many opinions that I've stopped getting opinions! I seem to have a little bit of everything, including myoclonic jerks. Just passing on what one doc said--that often twitches can be provoked. He asked me if I ever noticed this. I gave him a few examples where I had and he told me "benign myoclonus." But, he could have been wrong. My current neurologist didn't like that diagnosis and refuses to label it at all.

 

[bfhopeful2]

anyone will twitch if poked hard enough...u can look at my old posts and see that a ran this test on one of my emplyees...we took off his pants and I punched him in the thigh...it twitched alright...dont worry he kept his underwear on.

 

[Nocturniscope]

I already poked the thenars of my familly and I was unable to provoke any twitch. I don't need to poke my thenars very hard for them to twitch.

 

[seadragonsovereign]

When I first saw my current neurologist (specialist in muscle disorders), my calf twitching wasn't as pronounced as it is today (at least in terms of frequency). He would flick my calf with with his finger (like you did when you were a kid to someones ear), trying to make the muscle twitch. More often than not, it did. And he was not worried about it at all, but your post reminded me that he did this. So, I would say that it is a normal bfs reaction and nothing to worry about.

 

[TwitchyMD]

Provocing fasciculations by tapping just means that your axons are more excitable than is normal. Sure you will read that inducing fasciculations by tapping is pathological but bfs is kind of pathological state, however benign, also no worries.Yesterday my wife experienced left thumb twitches. I poked her thenar eminence with a force and...they reappeared for a few seconds. Also this is really no big deal.

 

[DromaeosaurR]

Early in my lip twitching, I could provoke them by filling my cheeks up with air. Both the top lip and bottom lip would begin twitching immediately after.

 

[FantasticFurball]

Twitches can be easily provoked by tapping, strecthing, sneezing, running, jumping, bending, crawling AND smiling - )