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Post viral syndrome peripheral nerve hyperexcitability
Hi everyone,
I’m a 36-year-old navigating recovery from what’s been described as post-viral small fiber involvement and motor nerve hyperexcitability.
How It Began:
It started after a viral illness in August 2024, during a time when my whole family had upper respiratory symptoms.
I developed fever, diffuse headache, and left-sided temple pain, which later localized and became persistent.
By January 2025, I began to experience:
Burning sensations
Pins and needles
Odd wet or sunburn-like skin feelings
Muscle fasciculations (twitches) across my body
Migratory muscle pain and intermittent joint discomfort
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Workup So Far:
MRI of brain and cervical spine: Normal
Autoimmune workup: Negative
Skin biopsy: Normal epidermal nerve fiber density
Nerve conduction studies & EMG (lower extremities): Normal
CBC, CMP, CRP, ESR, CK, aldolase, B12: All normal
No evidence of large fiber neuropathy or motor neuron disease
No clinical weakness or atrophy
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Current Working Diagnosis:
Post-viral small fiber sensitization
Motor nerve hyperexcitability (likely benign fasciculation syndrome or similar)
Significant health anxiety, especially due to my medical background and profession
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What’s Helping Me:
Gabapentin (600 mg at night)
Supplements:
Magnesium glycinate
CoQ10
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)
Omega-3
Curcumin
B-complex
Vitamin D3 + K2
Ashwagandha, glycine, apigenin (for calming and sleep)
Exercise: Strength remains intact and working out reinforces my confidence
Mind-body tools:
Headspace and Curable app
Weekly visits with a psychologist
Gratitude journaling
Somatic calming techniques (breathing, grounding, mantra work)
New mantra I use daily:
> “One in a million. I am strong. This will pass.”
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Biggest Lessons:
Even with scary symptoms like widespread twitching or burning, the body can be in a state of hyperawareness, not disease.
I’ve learned the importance of regulating fear and stress to support nervous system healing.
Benign doesn’t mean painless—but it does mean hopeful.
Working with a neurologist, psychologist, and staying grounded in scientific reasoning has helped me reclaim my peace.
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Happy to connect with anyone navigating something similar. You're not alone—and your body is capable of calming, rewiring, and healing.
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@josh701 I found your post and I am just starting this journey. Lots of twitching in my legs and heavy feeling in R leg and L arm starting 5 days after a viral illness. My daughter had the virus a couple weeks before me and had a numb hand with pain along the nerve for a week too. I am hoping this is all virus related with nerve excitability. So far CK is normal but pending other labs. How are you now?
Been having BF for about 4-5 months now. On top of this over the past few months continue to get a buzzing feeling in both legs mainly just in the calves. This comes with a numbness and pain on the underside of my foot but can spread throughout the feet. Calms sightly if i take my shoes off. But appeared to mainly come on in 3 separate incidents over the past few months where the symptoms got worse. Anyone experience anything similar? Is it from the BFs possibly? thanks
@bkd7
Im fully functional, just got home from jamacia in which i climbed waterfall, jumped from cliffs had lots of fun. But still with ongoing symptoms. Some days worse then others. On going fasiculations and random aches and pains. Best of luck to you. I have found it difficult to explain to the docs despite me being a NP.
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2 Reactions@martinh11 , I’ve had buzzing several times. I thought it was in the past, but had another episode this week. It was in my right foot. It only lasted a few minutes, but is unsettling. Overall, my symptoms are much improved since 2023, but some persists. Body wide fasciculations appear sporadically too. Random muscle pain is more consistent.
@josh701
Seeing this post really helped me gain perspective on the symprtoms that I’ve been experiencing. Although the doctors have been claiming it is most likely post viral symptoms it was hard for me to imagine that it can be so severe and debilitating. I am happy to hear that you were able to get your symptoms under control. Do you yourself or have you heard of any autonomic symptoms like nausea, heart palpitations? I even have dry eyes and some visual focusing trouble. Also my symptoms very much come and go each day. Would love to hear your feedback. Thanks!
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2 Reactions@cyk
I did have some autonomic features. Mine was tachycardia with near syncope. This improved with beta blocker propranolol. Small fiber involvement can cause this. It known to cause gastroparesis.
My symptoms are still thrre but time is allowing to accept them and start moving on.
If you have not seen neurologist I would ask 4 referal.
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2 Reactions@martinh11
I went through a phase for about 3 months bottom of mg feet and palm of my hand felt as it was vibrating like a phone. I figured it was very vast fasiculations but who knows. It is no longer present
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2 Reactions@josh701 thanks for the reply yes sound very similar and appears to not have any real pattern to the symptoms, find my hands lately now mainly finger tips getting buzzing numbness not sure if it’s heightened BFs in my arms setting off the fingers. It’s all trial and error
Hi, I wanted to check with you how you are feeling now? I hope the twitching went away. I would really appreciate it if you could let me know. All the best, Ivana
@josh701 Thank you so much for your story, it gives me hope. My calves and feet twitching started on 10 Jan 2026 after 4 weeks of applying estrogen cream. It was really bad the first two weeks. It is a bit better now. I saw Neuro, did EMNG, MRI of spine, bloodwork, all normal. My nervous system is hyperexcitable. I am trying to calm it down - doing acupuncture, tapping therapy, psychiatrist, taking herbal anti-anxiety. The doctor wants me to take SSRI. Have you taken them? If yes, do they help? Thank you so much for being here and wishing you all the best. Ivana