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What Causes Constant Twitching At The Base Of Sternum?
Question: My son, 16 years old, in 11th grade, has fast fluttering/twitching in the middle of his upper abdomen ,right at the base of his sternum. it does not go along with his heart beat. He has had that feeling since 3-4 days ago. That feeling come during the day, on and off. Sometimes i can feel the movement around that area with my hand. Beside that , he is healthy , no pain, no sickness. He exercises everyday. I would like to know what is that. Do i need to take him to his doctor as soon as possible
Brief Answer:
most probably fluttering of the rectus muscles.
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for your query for your son who is 16 years old.
To recapitulate: Male/16 - fluttering/twitching at the base of sternum - 3-4 days - you can feel the movement with your hand - no other symptoms...
The most probable reasons can be:
-Involuntary movement of the muscle of the abdominal wall, most likely the Rectus abdominis muscle.
There is no specific cause of this.
It can occur due to exhaustion, over-work, less sleep than required, stress and/or anxiety and so on.
He should stop the exercises or any movements that can put on more strain on this area.
Another reasons like hernia and intestinal obstruction are less likely as there are no other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, distention and so on,
Taking to the Doctor will help to confirm the diagnosis, have one-to-one interaction as well as actual examination by the Doctor so that the probable diagnosis is concerned, he/she can counsel your son if need be and assure if nothing is serious.
I hope this answers your query, please feel free to ask for further relevant queries if you feel that there is a gap of communication.
most probably fluttering of the rectus muscles.
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for your query for your son who is 16 years old.
To recapitulate: Male/16 - fluttering/twitching at the base of sternum - 3-4 days - you can feel the movement with your hand - no other symptoms...
The most probable reasons can be:
-Involuntary movement of the muscle of the abdominal wall, most likely the Rectus abdominis muscle.
There is no specific cause of this.
It can occur due to exhaustion, over-work, less sleep than required, stress and/or anxiety and so on.
He should stop the exercises or any movements that can put on more strain on this area.
Another reasons like hernia and intestinal obstruction are less likely as there are no other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, distention and so on,
Taking to the Doctor will help to confirm the diagnosis, have one-to-one interaction as well as actual examination by the Doctor so that the probable diagnosis is concerned, he/she can counsel your son if need be and assure if nothing is serious.
I hope this answers your query, please feel free to ask for further relevant queries if you feel that there is a gap of communication.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your answer. I still have some more questions about that problem. I I would like to know when that problem will go away . Will it be gone by itself or does my son has to take medication to treat it? If that fluttering feeling lasts for months, does it mean something serious that needs to have some test to diagnose the disease? Is it a common problem? is it likely related to any heart problem?
Brief Answer:
As explained below.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your appreciation.
These are actually self limiting problem and go away if the instigating factors that I mentioned above are abolished.
Medications hasten the recovery and may be needed.
It is not a common problem.
And there is likely to be no relation with any heart ailment. AN EKG done once is sufficient to rule out cardiac problems.
If the fluttering lasts for several months, then further investigations and treatment may be needed.
I hope this answers you query.
As explained below.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your appreciation.
These are actually self limiting problem and go away if the instigating factors that I mentioned above are abolished.
Medications hasten the recovery and may be needed.
It is not a common problem.
And there is likely to be no relation with any heart ailment. AN EKG done once is sufficient to rule out cardiac problems.
If the fluttering lasts for several months, then further investigations and treatment may be needed.
I hope this answers you query.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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