Muscle twitching

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Deep anterior muscles

Overview

Treatment

Muscle twitching

Definition:

Muscle twitches are fine movements of a small area of muscle.

Alternative Names:

Muscle fasciculation; Fasciculations of muscle

Considerations:

Muscle twitching is the result of minor local muscle contractions or the uncontrollable twitching of a single muscle group served by a single motor nerve fiber or filament.

Muscle twitches are minor and often go unnoticed. Some are common and normal, while others indicate a neurologic disorder.

Common Causes:

Benign twitches (not caused by disease or disorders)
- Often affecting the eyelids, calf, or thumb
- Normal and quite common, often triggered by stress or anxiety
A diet deficiency
Drug overdose (caffeine)
Drug side effect (such as diuretics, corticosteroids and estrogens)
Exercise

Symptoms suggestive of a neurological cause of fasciculations include:

Wasting of muscle
Weakness
Other findings of nerve dysfunction

Neurological illnesses where fasciculations are seen include:

Chronic denervation of muscle due to disc compression of nerve exiting the spinal cord
ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
Spinal muscular atrophy
Muscular dystrophy
Myopathy

Review Date: 2/15/2005
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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