Stiff and twitching toes

[Norwich]

I have been suffering from considerable health anxiety for the last few months, starting because I got twitching muscles and convinced myself I had a terminal neurological disorder. Anyway, I have seen a neurologist who said I am fine which is great, but I am still experiencing all sort of sensations all the time, mainly in my mouth, hands and feet, which is driving me mad. I think most of these can be attributed to anxiety, but one which I am unsure about is that my toes are very stiff all the time and often quite sore, they also twitch a fair bit - have any of you experienced this? Thanks

[CJH86]

Hiya, are you are you from norwich? i live in norwich :)

Im a HA sufferer and have had the twitching and a self diagnosed 'neurodegenerative disease' in the last month or two aswell, but have started to realise its unlikely. It started when my toe went numb for a week, then my neck started twitching, fingers started going numb and my feet didnt feel steady......seems it was all in my head (although i wouldnt have believed anyone telling me that at the time)

I know anxiety can cause practically every symptom in the book!! maybe the toe stiffness and soreness could be down to the abnormally cold weather recently though? As it means circulation is concentrated less around the limbs, i know mine get stiff + numb for no medical reason at the moment (which is freaking me out somewhat)....so that is the only logical thing i could think of for myself, other than badly fitting shoes.

[Norwich]

Thanks for your reply CJH, and yes I am from Norwich (maybe being a Norwich City fan is the root cause of all my anxiety!)

Anyway, I don't think it is the cold as it doesn't get worse in the cold or better when I'm warm, plus it started in early December which was before this cold snap. There also isn't any redness or swelling, although sometimes when I clench my toes my foot shakes, so maybe it is tension due to anxiety. My feet also shake a bit if I lift them up and half tense the muscles - do you get this as well?

[CJH86]

Hi again, Norwich's preformace this season cant be helping the ol anxiety!

With regards to my neurological symptoms...actually trying what you said, my whole flipping leg shakes if i clench my foot like that :D or it does that sometimes when im sitting down with my feet on the floor (ive noticed that one before)

I have this thing about my left leg too, when i stand on it, it shakes loads....but the right one doesnt (natural variation maybe!)

...or possibly theres something in the water in norwich:roflmao:

[Norwich]

My whole leg shakes when I do that as well - maybe its tension, hopefully anyway! My calves also shake when I stand on tiptoes (I'm sure they didn't used to but maybe they did) and I don't feel as steady on one leg as I think I should, although when I was drunk at the weekend I gave it a go and could do all sorts of things on one leg (hopping around, balancing etc).

[CJH86]

Hi....your post made me chuckle! sounds exactly like me, its funny how i feel i cant stand on my own 2 feet most of the day but after a few pints i can practically execute the tip-toe moves and things with ballet style precision.....or at least i think i can which is good enough for me:roflmao:

[Norwich]

Did you also get paronoid about your toes being weak? I still am a little, you know when I try to make them straight and rigid I can push them down which I'm sure is normal but in my less lucid moments scares me. The big one can't be pushed as far as the others though and is a lot harder when I try to force it.

[CJH86]

Yeah you are right the....the big toe cant be pushed as far, i think thats normal:).

I dont tend to get paranoid about toes being weak, ive broken 2 of my toes on my left foot and one on my right....so my toes are weak and rubbish anyway!

What i tend to worry about currently is the numbness and tingling and also when my calves feel weak or foot does, interestingly some of this is not as bad since i gave up smoking...but its still there which is annoying!

[Norwich]

My feet and calves have tingled lightly continually for over ten years (and I mean there hasn't been a single time that I have noticed they aren't). That is what started my health anxiety but I don't usually notice it anymore unless I think about it. My feet have been tingling an awful lot more recently but I put that down to this recent bout of anxiety.

What does bother me is that I have noticed that my toes are actually stiff now, when I spread them they don't relax and fall back into place as quickly as they might - the doctor said it is anxiety related but I can't see how that can be!

[CJH86]

Anxiety can cause pretty much any symptom...bizarre isnt it! I think with something like stiff toes could be diverted circulation, with the body being prepped with anxiety id think circulation is more diverted to the larger muscle groups for purpose of fight or flight response + also the tension that comes with twitches fatigues the muscle making it stiff maybe (well thats what i tell myself...and its plausible).

My leg twitches and aches never seem to go either (especially a shooty pain in my calve)...they were so bad this morning in lab i thought my legs were going to give way, but had to concentate hard as i was handling chloroform solution :scared15: (also bad for someone with HA!).

Do you find you cant stop analysing your every movement? and also reflexes, poking muscles and stuff? i really wish i could stop, im sure it makes my poor feet and legs feel worse!

[Norwich]

Yes I am doing plenty of checking too, testing strength in my arms/legs/fingers etc; my wife has picked up on it and I'm trying to stop as it upsets her. My latest thing is my jaw, I don't seem to relax it and it doesn't settle in the middle; no doubt due to tension in some way!

[swamifox]

Back in 1998 I had the exact same symptoms. I started having twitching, too, and bunches of worries. I found it hard to sleep and scoured the Internet for information...all of it seemed ominous. It continued for about a year, and I was certain I was going to die from ALS, etc. Well, I got involved in a family emergency that didn't involve me, so my mind was taken off of it. Lo and behold, my symptoms gradually disappeared. Here I am in 2009, still prone to twitching and muscle pain when I am stressed, but no disease manifested itself, etc. If I do have something, it is slow and not fast-progressing. Please try to stay busy and keep your mind occupied. As you can see, I still browse the Internet on this topic sometimes when I get some twitching, but nothing phases me now. I have learned to relax. Best of luck to you.