Connect
Nerve / muscle twitching
Hello all - over the past year or so I have had muscle twitching / nerve twitching in my lower legs and knees. I also have some mild tingling. I had an MRI and the culprit looks is at the L4/L5 area. In addition I am genetically fused at the S1 area. This has caused wear and tear issues resulting in disccompression and both foraminal and lateral stenosis. It is annoying but not painful. The Dr and P/T have told me it is mild but I have changed Drs and requested a nerve study. I do not have any loss of movement. Weakness or muscle loss. In fact I am adding muscle from resistance training. I have found heat helps in most areas so at the end of the day I sit on a heating pad. I also stretch, move and exercise. Some days are better than others. Has anyone else had this issue and if so did a decompression or fusion surgical intervention eliminate it?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Spine Health Support Group.
Connect
I'm experiencing similar symptoms in my lower legs and feet and it's related to either my L5 nerve damage, my stenosis or peripheral neuropathy. The biggest item that gives me relief is movement. The more I move, walk, perform squats (against a wall using an exercise ball) 2-3 times a day. I feel this opens the nerve pathways. Sitting just closes them back up, in my opinion.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsTotally agree and thank you for the squat idea. The P/T showed me that variation it is a good movement! If you don’t mind my asking did you do any surgical procedures if so what did you do? Or are you using a conservative approach ?
I had a L5 laminectomy and L4-S1 fusion in 1990 with stainless steel plates. My recovery took a very long time. My fall stopped me from being a nurse but I became a healthcare consultant after recovering. But I think 19 years of being a road warrior didn't help my back much. Pain is my daily pal that accompanies me everywhere I go. My sole job now is to try to remain as painless as possible. My success rate varies day to day. I love to cook but the process of using my upper body makes my mid-back and shoulders hurt more. I had a massage today for the first time since Covid locked us down. I feel very-very good today.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsWell an update. I had the nerve study which was normal. I did MRI, X Ray, Epidural and the nerve study. I think I had a total of 5 Drs review me.
Then … divinely I was largely symptom free for about 2 years then bam …. After hiking one day it hit me again. Most of the same areas with a new area my left insole. I get tightness, dull aches and a buzzing sensation (foot.)
The nerves in my calves are hyper active but calm down with ice and heat. I was lifting circuit training and riding stationary bike (pretty aggressively.) I think that must have reactivated everything. Strangely a heating pad works well going outside seems to make it worse (we live in Las Vegas now) then I come inside and cool down and it resolves. It feels like it is getting a little bit better as time passes. I have a consult with my Dr tomorrow.
I had L4-S1 fusion in 1992 after a fall in 1988. Unfortunately my fusion is with stainless steel bars, not titanium. Going forward I cannot have an MRI of torso as a consequence and replacing my bars with newer titanium is no t pain I wish to experience again. Now 30 years later I have osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, PN but walk 2 miles a day, gym 2-3 times week, stretch 2 times a day. I use buprenorphine patch every 7 days and no longer need Percocet for breakthrough pain by using THC/CBD tincture. I’m overall doing pretty well considering.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsSounds like you are doing very well. I am sorry you went thru all of that. I had 3 Drs examine me 3 years ago. 2 told me to not do surgery - one said that if he did it would be a TLIF. Strangely I had 2 hernias and after the normal nerve test I backed off and my symptoms almost disappeared until June of this year. During the consult this week he suggested we try an injection first then see what that does. I think ultimately I will have to get something done. We are moving to AZ so I will take all of my lovely pics and mychart to either Mayo or somewhere in Tucson and look for resolution. My issue at the moment is shin pain and some tingling in my foot. The left side is getting a little better.
@jeffkboyce One thing you may want to look at is if your pelvis is out of alignment. That can cause sciatic or low back pain. You can have pain coming from multiple sources. My pelvis does twist a bit sometimes, and for me it can cause pain down the inside of my leg that can be at the groin or lower in the calf. A good physical therapist can assess this. Perhaps this would be a question to ask your doctor. I realize you'll be doing injections. As a person who exercised a lot, you may have very tight fascia and muscle tissue.
You may be interested in looking at our discussion about Myofascial release. My PT is certified in this technique and it helps me a lot. When I release the restrictions, my body can move again and be better aligned and by doing that it resolves pain. Here are a couple links.
Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
MFR provider search :
https://www.mfrtherapists.com/
MSK Neurology - "How to identify and treat lumbar plexus compression syndrome (LPCS)"
https://mskneurology.com/identify-treat-lumbar-plexus-compression-syndrome-lpcs/
Have you heard of Myofascial Releases before?
Thank you! I will look into that - my symptoms at the moment are nerve compression related and I am wondering if it is all low back. The right side is radiating pain in shin and ankle with pins / needles tingling etc. from the stenosis at L4/L5 and I think you are right I have some compression which I had before. The left side is an aggravated insole that tingles twitches and buzzes. If I irritate it gets mad then I have to relax and stretch til it goes away.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI have neuropathy for a couple of years in the balls of both feet. Some days are better than others. A couple of months ago I started getting muscle twitching. I had blood work done health and vitamin panel. My blood work was fine as well as kidney and liver. My white blood count was a little low, but I did have a bad infection on my finger I was fighting. So, I will go back and check on that now that the infection is better, and I am done with antibiotics. I was deficient in zinc, Alpha lipoic acid and K. Not alarmingly low but low. I started taking supplements, it has only been about 2 weeks so I guess I need to see if that will help in time.
I have not really gotten any answers from Chiropractors or podiatrists. My chiro said with the Xray that my lower back showed some issues, and I should consider an MRI. My lower back has been giving me pain on and off for years. I finally went and got an MRI. I found a place that you can self-pay. It was much more practical then paying through insurance. Plus, I have an HMO so it was such along process to get one with insurance.
I am not always in pain. Some days I am fine after I get out of bed and my back warms up and I am moving around. Other days can be miserable, and it is hard to function. So, I guess my question is with your back issues are you in pain everyday? If I have a issue and my back felt ok that day will any issue show up on the MRI?
Thanks!