What Causes Muscle Twitches

Have you ever felt those painless twitches in the muscles of your body? These arise due to an abnormal fiber activity. In scientific terms, muscle twitching is called fasciculation. The spontaneous discharge of skeletal muscle fibers, that is, abnormal fiber activity leads to twitches.

Most of us have felt them in our calf muscles, eyelids, and other areas of the body. While we all have heard of the various superstitious causes associated with eyelid twitching, the following paragraphs will tell you about the actual causes association with these involuntary contractions in the body.

Muscle twitches can occur in any part of the body. The primary cause may include anxiety and stress, that builds tension in muscles. This leads to an abnormal discharge in the muscle fibers leading to muscle twitches. If you exercise regularly, you will experience the twitching after an intense workout as it causes interference with the normal muscle contraction, thereby causing twitching and fatigue.

Other causes include deficiency of vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, electrolyte imbalance, and other mineral deficiencies. When calcium, magnesium, chloride, and other nutrients present in the body fluids are imbalanced, it leads to muscle twitches. People who are on diuretics, or those who have problems such as hypertension and congestive cardiac failure, may experience muscle twitches, as well. Other medications like corticosteroids and estrogen doses may also be the cause.

Most of the time, the cause is not related to anything serious, however, in some cases the reason could be as serious as an underlying nervous system disorder. Listed below are the potential causes associated with this problem.

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Benzodiazepine withdrawal
• Bug bites or stings

• Lack of certain vitamins and minerals, or magnesium deficiency
• Hypothyroidism
• Fibromyalgia
• Emotional stress or anxiety
• Damage to the nerve that leads to a muscle
• Dehydration
• Excessive caffeine intake
• Genetics
• Kennedy disease
• Lack of sleep and fatigue

• Lower motor neuron lesion
• Lyme disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscle fatigue
• Muscle strain or injury
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis
• Myasthenia gravis
• Nervous system disorder
• Neuromyotonia/Isaac's syndrome
• Organophosphate poisoning
• Parkinson's disease
• Pregnancy
• Rabies

• Werdnig-Hoffman disease
• Stroke
• Side-effects of certain drugs or medication like diuretics, corticosteroids, or estrogen
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Weak muscles (myopathy)
• Withdrawal from certain medications

You should maintain a healthy diet and make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. This will help overcome vitamin and mineral deficiency that leads to muscle twitches. Apart from that, lower your caffeine intake and try yoga to reduce stress. Speak to your doctor about frequent muscle twitches, as it may be due to a serious muscle disorder.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.