MND fear

[greenpoodles]

This is a new anxiety which has been affecting me recently- fear of a neurological disorder. A few weeks ago I started getting lower back aches, it would come and go depending on what activity I had been doing and would always be gone in the morning, after lying down.

It went away for a couple of weeks, and then I was playing golf on the Wii and bent over slightly and felt a painful twinge, and it's ached on and off since then. I then read a news article about a man whose lower back pain turned out to be an early symptom of MND!

Well obviously that made me worried, I since have convinced myself that I have constant muscle twitching (which I do, occasionally, but only when relaxed) and therefore must have some sort of disease.

REALLY getting to me now. Anyone else experienced the same fear? I keep thinking that my muscles feel weak, tired etc and my hands feel numb occasionally.

Funny thing is, I work as a waitress, and when I'm at work and my mind's on something else I don't experience any problems. If I'm standing around though sometimes the backache comes on, but the other 'symptoms' appear only when I'm anxious, I think. If the backache continues I'm going to see a doctor. I'm only 19 and I feel like an old aching woman sometimes!

[DoogieJ]

Couple of things.

1) It could just be a bad back. I hate shopping with my girlfriend, for the last 12 or so years I haven't been able to stand or walk about without getting a sore back after about an hour. If I'm active playing sport I don't notice it, but when bored and being dragged around the shops it really makes itself known.

2) There is a harmless condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS). This is where the body shakes/twitches/tremors. But it isn't linked and can't develop into anything else.

3) Pain is not associated with MND. And twitches would occur at the end of the muscle life. Also there is no sensation loss associated with MND. All you describe can be attributed to a trapped or pinched nerve.

4) The odds of you getting MND at 19 is ludicrously high, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, because like you, I have worried I had it numerous times in my life, and you read stories about young people getting it. But these people are an extreme rarity. The odds on you having MND are millions (even tens of millions) to one. You're more likely to be hit by lightning or win the lottery.

What you'll find is you pay more attention to symptoms that you didn't notice before. You will test muscle strength and try to see if there is weakness. By doing this though, you strain the muscles you aren't used to moving as much and then you notice it more.


I'll give you an example from my own history. I had numbness in my left big toe, and I felt I had muscle weakness too because of it (oh no MND). So I would walk on my tip toes all the time to see if I still could. Doing this over a period of weeks knackered out my heels and calf muscles because they were being used in different ways to what they were used to. So then I worried it had spread. I did it to myself. 4 years later, my big toe is still numb but I now know it is more likely to be nerve damage over my life that caused it. I am left footed and play a LOT of football. But that would be too obvious a solution

[blackberry1972]

Couple of things.

1) It could just be a bad back. I hate shopping with my girlfriend, for the last 12 or so years I haven't been able to stand or walk about without getting a sore back after about an hour. If I'm active playing sport I don't notice it, but when bored and being dragged around the shops it really makes itself known.

2) There is a harmless condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS). This is where the body shakes/twitches/tremors. But it isn't linked and can't develop into anything else.

3) Pain is not associated with MND. And twitches would occur at the end of the muscle life. Also there is no sensation loss associated with MND. All you describe can be attributed to a trapped or pinched nerve.

4) The odds of you getting MND at 19 is ludicrously high, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, because like you, I have worried I had it numerous times in my life, and you read stories about young people getting it. But these people are an extreme rarity. The odds on you having MND are millions (even tens of millions) to one. You're more likely to be hit by lightning or win the lottery.

What you'll find is you pay more attention to symptoms that you didn't notice before. You will test muscle strength and try to see if there is weakness. By doing this though, you strain the muscles you aren't used to moving as much and then you notice it more.


I'll give you an example from my own history. I had numbness in my left big toe, and I felt I had muscle weakness too because of it (oh no MND). So I would walk on my tip toes all the time to see if I still could. Doing this over a period of weeks knackered out my heels and calf muscles because they were being used in different ways to what they were used to. So then I worried it had spread. I did it to myself. 4 years later, my big toe is still numb but I now know it is more likely to be nerve damage over my life that caused it. I am left footed and play a LOT of football. But that would be too obvious a solution

I have the same fear and what you said has really helped me, especially regarding the musle twitching. Ive had them for over 6 months now on and off and yet i'm still able to go to the Gym and lift weights, in fact i've got stronger which I know logically wouldnt happen if I had MND.

to the OP, if you only get the symptoms when you mind isn't occupied on work then I think you know the answer. You probably have a bad back but over 50% of the worlds population suffer with a bad back at somepoint in their lives, some are chronic most are not.

[ElizabethJane]

Hi My mother had and died of mnd. Her illness was progressive. It started in her legs ie tingling and twitching. Her legs would give way and this became so bad that after six months she needed a wheelchair. He limbs became very heavy and she would try to lift them to make them work. The illness progressed very rapidly and it affected her throat muscles so she could not speak or swallow. The progression was quite dramatic. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these feelings about mnd. I can reassure you that you almost certainly do not have it. You mostly certainly would not be able to go to the gym. My mum was unable to walk or stand after about six months. Try not to focus on this distressing illness.

[blackberry1972]

Hi My mother had and died of mnd. Her illness was progressive. It started in her legs ie tingling and twitching. Her legs would give way and this became so bad that after six months she needed a wheelchair. He limbs became very heavy and she would try to lift them to make them work. The illness progressed very rapidly and it affected her throat muscles so she could not speak or swallow. The progression was quite dramatic. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these feelings about mnd. I can reassure you that you almost certainly do not have it. You mostly certainly would not be able to go to the gym. My mum was unable to walk or stand after about six months. Try not to focus on this distressing illness.

That all sounds so very similar to my father. From the day he was diagnosed to the day he died took 6 months. As someone who is very fit and active MND represents my biggest fear

[Gazman]

Just wanted to add my little experience in here...

I'm 23 and I have twitched all over my body - literally thousands of times a day (but only when at rest) for about 9 months now, my anxiety is very low now but i believe anxiety is the cause of the twitching.

I too have developed lower back pain recently and i'm waiting for an MRI so reading that would of sent me into panic but i know my back pain is most likely to be sciatica and or a slipped / damaged disk according to my GP, like Doogie said, it's a fairly rare disease and the chances of you dying from it at 19 is just crazy.

I did end up having an EMG a few months ago and nothing was found - i twitched during the test and the only diagnosis i got was hyper nervous system - something like that - neurologist said it's "just" anxiety anyway

[greenpoodles]

Thanks for your replies. I've been quite busy the last few days so my anxiety about it has been under control, and I haven't had any symptoms apart from the backache. I feel incredibly guilty sometimes for worrying about it when I know there are people actually suffering from these diseases, but anxiety causes the mind to be irrational I guess.

[crazyhayz]

i get the constant muscle twitching, but only at rest. does anyone else get it where your whole leg moves because the twitch is so powerful? I get these type ones loads of timesa day but only at rest, i dont seem to get them when im busy/active... does this mean its only anxiety, for example, if i had a neurological condition then the twitches would happen not JUST at rest, theyd happen when i was active also??? xxx

[Gazman]

That's pretty much correct crazyhayz, if you only twitch when resting then anxiety or at least a benign condition is usually the problem - well that was the diagnosis i got.

[Going home]

Thing is, not all of these symptoms can be put down to any one illness anyway. Something like muscle spasms or twitches don't automatically mean its a neurological problem but its what most people google and think they have. Ive recently been diagnosed as having too much iron in my blood and one of the symptoms of this is muscle spasms and twitches. With treatment its not a serious condition and the treatment is not complicated, no meds required! There are lots of reasons why most people have these twitches and spasms and aches and mostly they're down to tension.

Sounds to me as if you've simply overstretched some muscles, you sound like a very active person so its easily done, and you said yourself you felt pain after leaning forwards playing on your Wii, so youve already given the reason really.

Anna xxx