Exploring EMG Fasciculation Potentials

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I read the article and I must admit it has raised some doubts on whether I now have BFS. It mentioned, fine individual muscle fibre twitches yet I suffer more from larger muscle group twitching as well. People can sometimes see my muscle twitches from across the room or even through my clothing. Somtimes they can almost be like spasms as well as repetitive twitches. Anyone else?
 
I saw the gray matter disease and thought "that will be what I have"!
Actualy I have large twitches as well. The muscle above my knee twitches a few times a day and you can see it through clothing. The twitches in my calves and arches are more fine and pulsating, but the random ones that are above my knees or on my lower back or but are stronger. (Luckily they are the random ones)
 
Hey all, keep in mind, BFS is a new term given for a "syndrome" that is relatively unknown and thankfully benign. It isn't that common, but then again, it isn't uncommon either. The one thing that is a sure thing is it is benign. It can not and will not "turn into" something else. It is what it is and that's that. There was a huge study on this at one of the largest medical clinics in the world and it was VERY conclusive.

Twitches come in all sizes. Tiny little ripples that are so fast and so fine, they feel like "buzzing" or "vibrations". Other's may ripple slowly but strongly, almost like a spasm. There are big single "thumps" and some that thump and bump over and over again and are so big that they move clothing and whole limbs. Some are here and gone in less than a second. Other's hit one spot and stay for days, weeks and even months. What you find as a description of a true" fasciculation" is about as outdated as what you'll find about twitches leading to ALS. Twitches do NOT "lead to ALS" at all. They are a SECONDARY action caused by the muscles ALREADY involved with ALS as the nerves die. By the time you notice twitches with true ALS, you will no doubt, already have other signs going-on by then and it will rapidly progress from there with no looking back.

Some people notice "worm like" slow movements under the skin. It is especially common in the arches of the feet and calves. This is common and is benign too.

Keep this in mind. If you read ANYTHING in a medical manual, you will scare the hell out of yourself because you WILL have some of the symptoms (in your mind anyway) that relate to just about everything in there, so don't even go there.

BFS is indeed a syndrome and is becoming recognized around the world. because of the fact that it is a benign condition, there isn't much research being done on it. I mean, why anyway? Why stop researching other nasty things out there to find out about something that isn't going to hurt you? Why spend $ and time on something that is benign? There is no reason to and I would flip my lid if doctors and researchers stopped researching for cures on Muscular Distrophy, AIDS, Hepatitus, Multi Drug Resistant TB, Polio (which is making a come-back) and countless other's. Yes, BFS is a pain in the ass and it is scary, why? Because we and the uninformed medical community were uneducated about it and were led to believe that "twitches lead to ALS" and that is BS if I've ever heard any before! Maybe there's another name that better suits this syndrome, personally I don't care. All I care about is that it is benign, it could have been worse and it is unfortunate that most of the medical community has no clue about it and can only relate twitches with a serious motor neuron disease and that is about as out of whack as burning witches, draining people of their blood to cure diseases and all of the rest of the old "hokus-pokus" that used to be "normal procedure" but was later dubbed "quackery".
 
Aarron:

I live directly North of you in Vancouver Canada so tonight I will bow and pray facing due south. You are my GOD! Thanks for slapping some sense into my head. I was heading down the slippery slope of darkness and your post has let the sun shine again.

DaveKD, I hope you see the light as well.

LOL - I have to learn to laugh more and stop taking this thing so seriously.
 
Thank you for putting it all into perspectiveAaron. Most of us are very healthy people with no other conditions and WILL live happy and LONG lives. Most of this syndrome is mind over matter, the less I think about it the less they happen and yes it is hard but what else can you do?? Since I am going on with my life and continue to do the things I love I rarely notice the twitches at all ( only when I wind down for the night). I ride my horse everyday with no problems, no weakness at all, and am very physically active. I have noticed I may twitch when my muscles are fatigued which is common in everyone and sometimes the way I am sitting or laying on a muscle may make it twich. I never twitch when I am physically active. So stay happy and healthy, stop looking up the bs on the internet cause it will drive you crazy and get out and do the things you love. We all need to support each other and think positive. :LOL:
 
Now you guy's are talkin'!! Go live life! twitching is NOT bad. Yes, BFS has some down points, fatigue, stress, aches and pains here and there, tremors, occasional cramps and of course the twitches, both big and small, but it is certainly not life threatening and there are a LOT worse things out there. Frankly, I'd take BFS over most anything out there, 'cause I know it's nothing that is going to take me away from my family. It's OK to be afraid occasionally when things flare-up. Just remeber it can not and will not "turn into" anything else... it is BFS and that is that. I have to say though, I have seen a lot of new evidence that BFS and Fibromyalgia "could be" one in the same.. either way, they are both benign, so who cares? Go fish, go watch the ball game with some friends. drink a beer or three, go for that Sunday drive, go on vacation or just hang around and do yard work.. whatever floats your boat to make you happy and do it KNOWING you are OK... you just have some minor "benign" glitches, but they are no big deal.
 
LETS GET TO THE SHORT OF IT,
FASCICULATIONS WITHOUT WEAKNESS IS NEVER ALS.
IN ALS FASCICULATIONS REPRESENT DEAD MUSCLES, THIS ONLY HAPPENS AFTER 6-10 MONTHS OF THE DESIESE FASCICULATIONS ARE THE END...END OF THE PROCESS NOT THE START OF ALS.
THIS IS A FACT .
A CLEAN EMG=NO ALS
PROLONGED TWITCHING W/OUT REAL WEAKNESS IS ALWAYS BEGIN.
THIS COMES FROM THE PAGES OF THE CLEAVLAND CLINIC DRS WHO ARE EXPERTS ON ALS.
WE ARE ALL VERY LUCKY TO HAVE ONLY BFS AND EVEN MORE LUCKY TO HAVE ARON...


THANKS AGAIN FROM US ALL ARON
 
Scott, now you're getting it! See? twitches WITHOUT weakness is a benign condition and just like you found at the Cleveland Clinic, it is posted just about everywhere else as well and it is a fact. The hardes thing for people to realize is that their doctors and NOT wrong, they didn't "miss" anything and BFS does NOt "turn into" anything. Once peole realize that, they will be just fine. I know... I was one of the one's that just couldn't be convinced and that is what provoked me to do so much research on these subjects. I was sure I was going to prove my doctors wrong and that I didi indeed have ALS.. well... I was wrong. I have BFS. Been twitching, tremoring, aching, fatiguing and everything else for over a year and a half with no weakness, no cordination loss, just my own stupidity for not believeing my own doctors in the first place. Oh well, now I can help other's with the same problems and fears that I had and that is why I am here, thanks to John and his great web site!
 
No, that's not quite how ALS works. When you flex a muscle, you are working any number of "groups" of muscles all at the same time, not just one single muscle fiber. AlS attacks the nerves in the muscles fiber by fiber, not entire groups all at once. But in time, what you said would sort of be correct. ALS doesn't twitch butt muscles and then move somewhere else. It usually starts in a hand or a foot, ankle or the throat area, but it "can" start just about anywhere. It does NOT come and go. Once a muscle group starts, it progresses from there and spreads. It is highly unlikely to start in one area and then leave that area to go somewhere else. Once an area starts, it continually progresses from there-on.
 
so ALS patients suffer muscle twitching in confined areas and not all over their body when they first get symptoms? i've been looking for an answer to that question for a long time but everywhere i've looked, it just says muscle twitching and not where the twitching takes place..
 
I also worried about ALS for a long time and had many tests to rule it and other nasty diseases out. It has been over 3 years now and I'm still twitching. I have not had a twitch free day in all this time. I'm still here and still healthy. My oldest brother also has BFS ( 10 years now) and he is also healthy. I read that in ALS when the muscles twitch they do not stop until the muscle is dead. In ALS it twitches because it is dying and the person will no longer have the use of that muscle. ALS is a relentless disease. One Neurologists told me that ALS does not hide. Twitching would be the least of your problems. So take everyday and count your blessing, live life to the fullest ....Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and say a prayer for those who do have ALS.
 

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