Muscles Shake/Tremble When Using Them?

[Goldfishyo]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences this. For the past few months, I've noticed that my muscles shake when performing eccentric contractions (i.e. when performing slow movements such as when lowering my ankle or lowering my leg after lifting it up). It feels like my whole trunk is trembling often times, especially when I'm doing an abdominal crunch.

I should mention, I've always had anxiety and panic attacks but recently dealt with my first bout of serious health anxiety about a month ago (over ALS, of course) after feeling fatigued and noting some other 'symptoms'. I've learned to chalk it up to A LOT of stress experienced over the past few months due to some major life transitions.

I also started 25mg Zoloft and it has helped make my anxiety more manageable and decrease the obsessive thoughts about physical symptoms. However, I have noted that I continue to feel this 'trembling' sort of feeling in my trunk when lifting my legs up and down slowly. In the middle of my health anxiety, it was also occurring when lifting my arms or extending my elbow slowly, but that has gone away.

Prior to all of this, I neglected to work out for several months. I started back exercising again (nothing too intense) a few weeks ago, along with yoga and meditation, in an effort to get my anxiety in control. Could general loss of strength from lack of exercise or even the Zoloft be causing this?

Or has anyone experienced this? And if so, how long did it take to go away? I'm feeling less anxious now so I'm wondering why this particular symptom has stuck around.

Sorry for the long post - thanks!

[Goldfishyo]

Just bumping this up, still curious if anyone has any insight on this?

[jtw5651]

I am just replying to say, I've had similar symptoms.

Had a tingle in my left cheek that would not go away. I was terrified, TERRIFIED I had a brain or spinal cord tumor for almost a month. I got a clear MRI (that is going to cost me over $2k) that disproved those fears, and then immediately after I got that, the twitching started.

It's been mostly in my legs and calves, but occasionally in the rest of my body. Sometimes it feels like I'm vibrating and sometimes I tremble. I have had pretty bad anxiety as well, like really bad stressing to the point where I think I have a fatal illness, so if we're both stressed and we both have similar symptoms, there's a pretty good chance it's all stress?

I keep googling my symptoms in different ways, hoping to read something along the lines of "No, this is all normal. You don't have ALS, don't be crazy." But there's so much conflicting information out there. Google seems to want to tell everyone who twitches or feels "odd" that they may have ALS!

Like you, I'm trying so hard to calm down. I would not wish this kind of panic on anyone, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't somewhat assuring that someone has similar symptoms with anxiety.

Nobody here is your doctor, and so no one here can tell you for "sure" it isn't something, but nobody can tell you for sure that you won't win the lottery if you buy a ticket. That's how I rationalize it anyway. ALS is an awful, awful disease, and I hate that anyone has to go through that, but it is pretty rare especially if you're under 40.


Yoga and breathing exercises have helped somewhat for me, that's all I can tell you. Have you tried a magnesium supplement?

I hope it's all nothing, and I hope you can get over this and get back to your life.

[Goldfishyo]

jtw5651 - thank you for your reply! I keep doing a lot of the same, googling this symptom in different ways, hoping to find an explanation. I'm less focused on ALS now, as my health anxiety has improved tremendously with the methods I mentioned above. But i'm a person who likes certainty and I hate not knowing why I'm still trembling/shaking!

I have not tried a magnesium supplement. My doctor actually gave me an order to have my magnesium tested which I'm hoping to do next week. Either way, I think I will start a supplement!

I hope the same for you and that you're doing well!