Muscle twitching

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Deep anterior muscles

Muscle fasciculation; Fasciculations of muscle

There is usually no treatment necessary for benign muscle twitching.

Call your health care provider if you have long-term or persistent muscle twitches.

Your health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions may include:

• When did you first notice the twitching?
• How long does it last?
• How often do you experience twitching?
• What muscles are affected?
• Is it always in the same location?
• Are you pregnant?
• What other symptoms do you have?

Diagnostic tests vary depending on the suspected cause. Tests may include:

• Blood tests to look for problems with electrolytes, thyroid gland function, and blood chemistry
• Electromyogram (EMG)
• Nerve conduction studies
• MRI of the spine or brain

Review Date: 03/21/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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