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Toe twitching/fasciculations?!
Hi there, I must say that I am stone-cold terrified after a little over a month of toe twitching. I am a 52 year old female. These are involuntary movements affecting both feet, multiple toes, but especially my big and fourth toes. I have no muscle weakness. Has anyone else had this, or does anyone have any expertise to weigh in? Some more background: I can see twitching on and off in the arches of my feet, and this morning I noticed some twitching in my left inner heel. Until now, the twitching had been worse on the right foot. This started about 4.5 weeks ago with a bad bout of cramping in both feet. Exercise /physical energy has not been affected. I actually had a normal neuro visit about 2 weeks in (in so far as office tests, EEG & EMG). Of course I was encouraged by the unremarkable EMG, but have recently heard that this may have been too early to diagnose A**? Which I am extremely worried about. Then to go further, I had a 3-day migraine-like headache this past weekend. I have always had period migraines, but since I went into immediate menopause (torsed ovary), my migraines have changed to this dull, 1-sided ache that causes nausea and is resistant to my normal Advil. Lastes 2 days. Also, that 1 side gets very stuffed up. The bottom line is that now, in addition to A** I am convinced that the alternative is a brain tumor, after reading that brain tumor headaches present exactly this way! I have gotten these same headaches about one every 3 mos. for the last 1.5 years or so. Of course, as a lifetime migrainer, I didn't think they were so much cause for concern. I even went to the ER one, although the headache subsided when I was admitted and they dx'd me with benign position vertigo. One thing I noticed was that in the last 2 days, (basically during the migraine), the foot twitches died down/went away! However, now that the migraine is gone, my toes/feet have been twitching all morning.
1. Is there anyone else who has entered into the hell of this toe-twitching?
2. Is there a medical professional who might have an opinion about all of this? I am awaiting MRI's of brain/spine. Thank you!
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@healthyme246 You might be describing Hammer Toes that are beginning to develop. It may be worth a visit to a podiatrist for custom orthotics and to discuss proper shoes to help the condition. Here is a link that explains:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17038-hammertoes
That may be a good place to start. There could be other reasons, and the fact that you can relieve this with massage is good. A physical therapist would also be a good source of assessment and information.
Do you have foot pain?
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1 ReactionNot normally. I think I need bigger shoes. It seems to happen after wearing my exercise sneakers. It’s not a constant thing. Thanks for the article.
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1 Reaction@cat22
I had a structural spine problem clearly evident on MRI and x-rays, and I had consulted 5 spine surgeons locally, and they all missed connecting my crazy pain symptoms to my imaging. They could all read the imaging, but didn't understand the problem. I had also been evaluated by neurologists who demonstrated altered nerve conduction speed with their testing. I went from doctor to doctor for 2 years before I came to Mayo, and none would help. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome that confuses the issue with similar overlapping symptoms. Mayo is one of the few places that treats TOS, and they also evaluated it when I was seen there.
It's common that a spine surgeon will not schedule an appointment without first reviewing imaging that demonstrates a need for possible surgery. In my case, I found some medical literature with a similar case that seemed to explain the problem. I contacted Mayo, and when I sent my imaging to them, I wrote a letter explaining the symptoms and I sent the medical literature in saying I thought my case was like this. I found that literature because of looking at a Mayo surgeon's profile and reading his literature. When I looked up a term in his paper online, I found the other study with a case like mine. I knew I had found a surgeon who would understand my symptoms, so I asked that he review my case. He took me as a patient and I had spine surgery at Mayo.
What type of orthopedic consult were you seeking for what symptoms? Is this a new condition that hasn't been assessed by other doctors?
@healthyme246 Comfortable supportive shoes are a must. My feet have spread out as I've gotten older, and getting a wider width has helped a lot. I do have custom orthotics which help. I also have been recovering from an ankle fracture over the last 2 years, so I am dealing with loss of strength that takes a long time to rebuild.
I think you have answered your question. Well fitting shoes with proper support will prevent a lot of problems. I like to wear athletic shoes for hiking that are lightweight with good support. I have Merrel shoes that I bought back in 2015 at an outdoor store and these have lasted longer than most others I have had. Some of the tread has worn through like old tires on a car, but they are still very usable.
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3 ReactionsI developed sudden peripheral neuropathy after the Covid vaccine. My initial symptom after the first vaccine was muscle spasms in my toes. This symptom advanced to documented peripheral neuropathy after the second vaccine. My initial EMG was normal, but subsequent EMGs are abnormal. Many vaccine injured patients are reporting muscle twitches such as you describe. If you would like to learn more, you could join the Neuro V Long-Haulers Facebook group.
@ecann32 Erika, I also wanted to share this link to a site that discusses in great detail neurological issues caused by physical reasons, such as pelvic alignment. These problems can mimic a spine problem and cause sciatica. You can get nerves firing from compression that can happen anywhere along the nerve path between where the nerves exit the spinal cord and the destination of your toes. I realize this is an older post, and perhaps you have an answer, but I thought you may be interested in this information.
https://mskneurology.com/identify-treat-lumbar-plexus-compression-syndrome-lpcs/
Can you share an update? Have your providers figured out what was happening with your piano player toes?
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1 ReactionWhat causes it
Hi @terrihealth, Welcome to Connect. By "Left 3 middle" do you mean fingers that are doing the involuntary twitching with pain?
Left 3 middle toes twitching with pain
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1 ReactionHi @terrihealth, You will notice that we moved your posts into an existing discussion on the same topic -- Toe twitching/fasciculations?!: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/toe-twitchingfasciculations/, so that you can meet @ecann32, @cat22, @healthyme246 and others.
I would like to suggest clicking on the link above to go to the top of the discussion and read through the posts. @jenniferhunter has shared some thoughts and suggestions that you might find helpful. Here is some information on possible causes.
"Toe twitching, also called a tremor or a spasm, can be caused by a variety of conditions. Many simply result from temporary interruptions in your circulatory system, muscles, or joints. Others may be linked to how much you exercise or what you eat." --- Toe Twitching: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments - Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/toe-twitching
Have you seen a doctor or podiatrist for possible causes?
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