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What Causes Muscle Twitching Above The Knee And What Is The Treatment?

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Posted on Thu, 2 Jan 2014
Question: i am experiencing fast twitches above my right and left knee that come on for about 2-3 seconds i am worried it might be ALS but i was just tested last year with an MRI and EMG which both came up fine, however i am still getting these twitches everyday like clockwork....i am not eating good dieting or exercising at all, do not really drink a lot of water and actually I am in the worse shape of my life to date about 30 pounds overweight... Should i go back and reschedule another EMG and MRI just to be sure? as twitching everyday cannot be normal.... please let me know your thoughts on this...
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Answered by Dr. Sudhir Kumar (4 hours later)
Brief Answer: My reply is below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Thank you for posting your query. Based on your description, my first diagnosis would be benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS). As the name suggests, this is a harmless condition and does not lead to disability. This is probably the commonest cause of twitching of muscles. In ALS, in addition to muscle twitching, there would be thinning and weakness of muscles. In addition, ALS is a progressive disease and over a period of one year, we expect the disease to progress to other parts of body. So, as of now, you require a detailed neurological examination, including muscle power testing, and deep tendon reflex examination. After that, a need for repeat MRI and EMG can be assessed, which most probably are not required at this moment. I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you require any additional information. Wishing you good health, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India Click on this link to ask me a DIRECT QUERY: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar My BLOG: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.in
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Sudhir Kumar

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What Causes Muscle Twitching Above The Knee And What Is The Treatment?

Brief Answer: My reply is below. Detailed Answer: Hi, Thank you for posting your query. Based on your description, my first diagnosis would be benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS). As the name suggests, this is a harmless condition and does not lead to disability. This is probably the commonest cause of twitching of muscles. In ALS, in addition to muscle twitching, there would be thinning and weakness of muscles. In addition, ALS is a progressive disease and over a period of one year, we expect the disease to progress to other parts of body. So, as of now, you require a detailed neurological examination, including muscle power testing, and deep tendon reflex examination. After that, a need for repeat MRI and EMG can be assessed, which most probably are not required at this moment. I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you require any additional information. Wishing you good health, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India Click on this link to ask me a DIRECT QUERY: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar My BLOG: http://bestneurodoctor.blogspot.in