Ask a doctor on the topic of Neurology

Fasciculations in body and calves

November 23, 2016 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

I am 33 years old male and I do not take any medications and currently do not engage in any sports.
For several days now, I have been experiencing muscle twitching on my body.
It started sporadically on my eyelids. It no longer occurs on my eyelids.
However, I can now observe the twitching on both of my calves. They occur every 2-10 seconds.
When consulting Dr. Google, I was immediately confronted with the diagnosis of ALS. There is talk of generalized fasciculations and twitching as the first symptom. I have started taking magnesium, but it has not yet shown the desired effect.
In relation to migraines, I had a head MRI in January 2016 which came back normal. I occasionally suffer from sleep disturbances and the current situation is exacerbating them.
I visited a neurologist for these symptoms, who suggested magnesium therapy and testing the calcium levels in my blood. Apart from a brief physical examination, no further tests were conducted.
Attached is a video showing the twitching. Should I consult a neurologist again or is my "fear" completely unfounded?
https://youtu.be/Qu6fiwTl9f8

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

First of all, I must say that the likelihood of developing ALS at your age is approximately 1 in 25 million. Unfortunately, since the "Ice bucket challenge" on Facebook, the entire internet is full of fear of ALS, so the disease is given much more media attention than it actually deserves.

The neurologist probably also checked your strength and reflexes. Usually, the strength in the hand and arm decreases before muscle twitches, and the neurologist can notice this as well as increased reflexes.

I see no reason for a repeated consultation with a normal examination result, as long as nothing worsens. By the way, internal tension is often the cause of such symptoms. I would definitely recommend doing something for relaxation and inner balance. This will also improve sleep disturbances.

Warm regards, Dr. Höllering