Muscle Twitching: Causes of Muscle Twitches All Over the Body

The medical term for muscle twitching is 'fasciculation'. Muscle twitching refers to small, local, involuntary muscle contractions (twitching) that may appear like a shiver under the skin. There are a multitude of causes for muscle twitches. Twitching that is not caused by a disease or disorder is called benign twitching. Examples of benign twitching are those brought on by dehydration or fatigue of that particular muscle. One may experience some amount of twitching after exercising. Another cause is a deficiency in a persons diet. Overuse of caffeine, or any other drug can also cause muscle twitching. Consequently, it is a side effect of drug abuse from diuretics, corticosteroids, estrogens and other substances.

Causes of Muscle Twitches

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological disease that is degenerative and eventually fatal. It affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord that are responsible for controlling muscle movement. The disease falls under the umbrella of motor neuron diseases. Its causes are unknown and early symptoms include twitching, cramping, or stiffness of muscles. This progresses to muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, slurred and nasal speech, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. In the latter stages of the illness, a patient is often completely paralyzed.

Muscular Dystrophy: The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of inherited muscle diseases . People with different forms of MD face progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Muscular dystrophy can occur at any point of time in life, starting from infancy. In the more progressive stages of muscular dystrophy, muscle fibers are replaced with fat and connective tissue. Some forms of MD are Duchenne MD, Becker MD, Facioscapulohumeral MD and Myotonic MD.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Disease falling under the category of Types I, II, and III of Spinal Muscular Atrophy are inherited and cause weakness and degeneration of the voluntary muscles in the arms and legs of infants and children. The cause of these disorders are an abnormal or missing gene called the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1). The function of the missing gene is to produce a protein that is essential to motor neurons. In the absences of this protein, lower motor neurons in the spinal cord degenerate and eventually die.

Weak Muscles (Myopathy): Myopathy is a broad category that includes all neuromuscular disorders, in which the primary symptom is muscle weakness caused by the dysfunction of muscle fiber. Patients also suffer from muscle cramps, stiffness, and spasms. Some myopathies, such as muscular dystrophies, are inherited while others such as common muscle cramps, are conditional.

Muscle twitching can also occur when the nerve leading to a muscle is damaged.

Twitches that are not caused by a disorder usually take place in the eyelids, calf, or thumb. They are most often set off by stress or anxiety, and are not a cause for concern. Thus, no treatment is required for benign muscle twitching. They come and go depending on circumstances, not lasting for more than a couple of days.