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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Thumb Twitching, Discomfort In Forearm And Wrist. Probably Benign?

Hi, I have had a series of twitches that have been bothering me for the past few months and I am nervous that they might be symptomatic of something serious. They started around my eyes and nose but they appear to have subsided for the time being. I am mostly concerned about my left thumb which, when resting, seems to twitch persistently. This twitching has lasted a couple of months. I have no loss of strength that I have noticed although there is a mild discomfort in my forearm , wrist , and fingers. I have repeatedly been to my GP who doesn t think that my symptoms require further investigation. My GP tells me that it is probably a case of nerve irritation, hyper-excitability, or BFS. Should I persist in trying to get a firmer diagnosis or trust that it is probably benign? Cheers
Thu, 19 Dec 2013
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Neurologist,  's  Response
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query.

I have noted your symptoms. I agree with your GP, that your symptoms are not suggestive of something serious and are most likely due to benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS).

I think you are worried about MND (motor neurone disease), also called as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is unlikely in your case. In ALS, there would be thinning of muscles, as well as weakness of hands & arms.

However, if in doubt, please consult a neurologist and get electromyography (EMG) done.

I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you have any follow up queries or if you require any additional information.

Wishing you good health,

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior 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

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Thumb Twitching, Discomfort In Forearm And Wrist. Probably Benign?

Hi, Thank you for posting your query. I have noted your symptoms. I agree with your GP, that your symptoms are not suggestive of something serious and are most likely due to benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS). I think you are worried about MND (motor neurone disease), also called as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is unlikely in your case. In ALS, there would be thinning of muscles, as well as weakness of hands & arms. However, if in doubt, please consult a neurologist and get electromyography (EMG) done. I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you have any follow up queries or if you require any additional information. Wishing you good health, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) Senior 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