Muscle fasciculations
Muscle fasciculations or muscle twitches are small, rapid, involuntary contractions in skeletal muscles that are too weak to move a limb.[1] Superficial muscle fasciculations are visible to the eye. Deeper muscle fasciculations are detected by electromyography (EMG) testing.[2] They result from an involuntary firing of a single motor neuron (nerve cell) and all its innervated muscle fibers.[3]
Muscle fasciculations can occur in healthy people especially in the eyelid muscles, and are considered harmless, however, when fasciculations are accompanied by muscle weakness or atrophy, these fasciculations may indicate a neurological dysfunction.[1]
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
- In a 2001 Belgian study, 58.5% of patients meeting the Fukuda criteria and 64.1% of patients meeting the Holmes criteria, in a cohort of 2073 chronic fatigue syndrome patients, reported muscle fasciculations.[4]
Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]
The Canadian Consensus Criteria lists muscle fasciculations as a symptom of ME/CFS under the section Neurological/Cognitive Manifestations.[5]
Notable studies[edit | edit source]
Possible causes[edit | edit source]
Possible causes include:
- too much caffeine intake
- poor sleep management
- dehydration
Potential treatments[edit | edit source]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Steven McGee (2018), Chapter 61 – Examination of the Motor System: Approach to Weakness (print)
- ↑ Mills, K R (June 1, 2005). "The basics of electromyography". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 76 (suppl_2): ii32–ii35. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2005.069211. ISSN 0022-3050. PMC 1765694. PMID 15961866.
- ↑ Killian, J.M.. (2010). Electromyography. 428-435. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-05712-7.00026-X.
- ↑ De Becker, Pascale; McGregor, Neil; De Meirleir, Kenny (December 2001). "A definition‐based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome". Journal of Internal Medicine. 250 (3): 234–240. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2796.2001.00890.x.
- ↑ Carruthers, Bruce M.; Jain, Anil Kumar; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Klimas, Nancy G.; Lerner, A. Martin; Bested, Alison C.; Flor-Henry, Pierre; Joshi, Pradip; Powles, A C Peter; Sherkey, Jeffrey A.; van de Sande, Marjorie I. (2003), "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols", Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 11 (2): 7-115, doi:10.1300/J092v11n01_02