Myoclonus Symptoms

You must have felt a sudden jerking of a muscle or a group of muscles in your body. After a lingering moment of involuntary twitches, these jerks are forgotten. This sudden, involuntary muscle twitching is called myoclonus. There are different types of this muscle twitching that may affect people. For better understanding, let's take help of a few common examples. Hiccups are one of the most common forms of involuntary muscle jerks. Sleep myoclonus is another such harmless form. Not all myoclonus symptoms indicate something as simple as hiccups. There are many major neurological and nervous system disorders that can lead to the possible symptoms.

Causes

The causes include a response to a bacterial or viral infection. It may also occur due to a brain tumor or head and spinal cord trauma that causes muscle fibers to suffer from these twitches. Other causes include kidney failure, liver failure, stroke, etc. Sometimes symptoms are seen due to a side effect of medications, drug poisoning or chemical reaction in the body.

Apart from these causes, it may occur due to presence of nervous system disorders. These disorders include opsoclonus myoclonus, systemic lupus, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc. People with epilepsy may also suffer from this muscle trouble. There are various other causes of this disorder that include use of opioids, morphine, general anesthesia, etc. Hypoxia, that is, oxygen depreciation to the brain can lead to muscle twitches.

Symptoms

The sudden shakes, as a part of muscle twitching, occur for a suspended moment. They occur involuntarily and are felt like a shock. These jerks maybe experienced in just one part of the body (localized) or may occur all over the body. These shock-like jerks may vary in their intensity and frequency. Severe symptoms may cause problems in walking, talking as well as eating.

The symptoms may occur within the ear as well. Many patients complain of middle ear indications. These mostly involve the tensor tympani muscles located within the middle ear. The tensor tympani signs occur when the muscles are in a tensed state. This causes the tympanic membrane to become tensed as well. This causes the vibration and volume in the middle ear to reduce. Thus, the tympanic tensor symptoms include hearing sounds that are similar to chewing sounds. Sometimes middle ear evidences also include feeling butterflies or other insects fluttering within the ear. This may be due to the contraction of tensor tympani muscles leading to these sounds.

Another unique symptom includes palatal myoclonus, wherein rapid spasm of these muscles is experienced. Patients often complain of a clicking or popping sound in the ear. These sounds are also heard when the patient goes to sleep.

Treatment

The treatment usually involves curing the underlying causes. There are no specific medications for treatment. However, tranquilizers and anticonvulsants are usually prescribed to control these involuntarily jerks. Botox injections also prove to be useful in the treatment of muscle contractions.

Essential myoclonus, which people experience most of the time, is a type of condition that is not related to any disease or disorder. If you experience muscle twitching frequently, speak to your healthcare provider.