Myoclonic Jerks Vs. Regular Muscle Spasms

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Starburst

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Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me understand the difference between a myoclonic jerk that is related to epilepsy and a regular muscle spasm that anyone might have. Are there any distinguishing features? For example, if the jerks always happen in the morning and then gradually taper off during the afternoon, does this necessarily imply epilepsy? Or is it just common for muscle jerks/spasms to occur in the morning in general? What other distinguishing features define epileptic activity?
 
it hard to say but i think you know difference as it happens..as i understand tiredness can cause it aswel..with epilepsy it be anytime anywhere,.with me i could not tell you but my daughter use spend 24/7 jerking was awful....i think you need have tests to define if it ep activity,others may have better knowledge
 
Myoclonus can be harmless -- as in the jerk that many people experience right when falling to sleep, or garden-variety hiccups. Or it can be a sign of a neurological problem -- not just epilepsy, but also diseases like MS or Parkinsons. If they are a regular and disruptive occurence then a neurological cause seems pretty certain.

One way to distinguish myoclonic epilepsy from other kinds of spasms is that the seizures tend to cause abnormal movements on both sides of the body at the same time, and are fairly common in the morning shortly after waking up.
 
Thank you for your responses. Basically what I have is a muscle in my right side that always jerks right when I wake up. Typically it might jerk for a couple of hours and then stop until the next morning. At first, this was happening every few weeks and would be one or two jerks. Now it is every day or two and can be as many as 40-50 jerks, but sometimes is as few as 10. I used to have jerks and twitches in other parts of the body as well, but now it seems to have all settled in this one muscle in my side. Sometimes something else will move in my body at the same time, like my eyes will forcibly close, or my mouth will twitch very briefly. It is so brief that it is hard to keep track of.

What do myoclonic jerks related to epilepsy feel like? Are they painful? I feel something like a big piece of meat moving in my side (almost like being pregnant and feeling the baby move). They are sort of like jolts of electricity and "shock" me at times, causing me to cry out. I usually feel bad during them (nauseous) but I don't know if this is because I feel panicked.
 
i got small pulsating thing going on in my ankle and left side of abdomen been going on few days driving me crazy it coincides with going see james bond and i told people with photo sensitive e should be careful with that film particuarly(danial craig is worth it)what can i do stop it,feel like want to tie tight band around it any tips cos i hate this....i know my e going be bad in next couple days always is when this happens and i dreading the head ache that most certainly will follow
 
bumping this thread....I seem to have the same jerk, always in my right hip. It happens almost anytime I'm sitting still...I don't tend to notice it when I'm standing or walking.

It's been picking up in frequency so I'm wondering if it's not a myoclonic jerk and not just a simple muscle spasm.
 
This kinda describes what I feel. I refer them as myoclonic jerks because sometimes I don't notice anything and someone will ask me if I'm okay. Also they feel different then the ones I have when falling asleep. Its annoying when I do notice it and it goes on for a couple minutes constantly for over quite a few hours. Does this sound like E related? I am currently diagnosed with psychogenic seizures so was just wondering about that.
 
This kinda describes what I feel. I refer them as myoclonic jerks because sometimes I don't notice anything and someone will ask me if I'm okay. Also they feel different then the ones I have when falling asleep. Its annoying when I do notice it and it goes on for a couple minutes constantly for over quite a few hours. Does this sound like E related? I am currently diagnosed with psychogenic seizures so was just wondering about that.

Ditto, they feel different than the ones when I'm falling asleep. I'm also currently under the PNES cloud. Seeking a second opinion.
 
I am trying to get a second opinion, but I'm not sure what to say to the second doctor.
 
I am trying to get a second opinion, but I'm not sure what to say to the second doctor.

When I am looking for a second opinion, I just come right out and say it "I'm not sure I agree with Doc #1, I would like you to review the material, examen me and give me your opinion."
 
Okay, I am kind of afraid of having E. AT one end it means my seizures could start being controlled by medicine, but on the other it brings up so many questions and I am afraid of it.
 
I can understand that. I personally would rather have E than PNES. But, that's probably just because I don't like the way people (outside of this forum) talk about PNES.
 
Yea I hate it, especially when doctors pretty much try to tell me I can control my seizures. If I could control them I wouldn't be going to the doctor about it in the first place. I would love to have some of my freedom back.
 
Yup! Often that can indicate which side of the brain the seizure activity originates (usually the opposite side from the where the jerk occurs).
 
This is a good question as I've wondered the same thing. I get little twitches - not really full blown spasms, but I do notice them in random spots like my fingers if I'm sitting down, or I'll feel a weird spasm type thing in my leg (twitchy). I mentioned it to a couple of people who I was "working" with about this. They said they had noticed some twitchiness - especially in my fingers, and I said I am always fidgety, but they noticed sometimes it seems out of my control. It is really hard to say... I asked my neurologist about it when it happens before sleep, and he said that is normal. However, when I asked someone else (NOT a neurologist - the EEG technician whose been doing it for years and has a daughter with epilepsy) how you can have an abnormal EEG without any seizures, she did explain that sometimes you can have symptoms that are so small you may not notice it if a small part of your brain misfires. It's not enough to cause anything you would REALLY feel. It made sense to me, but she's not the neurologist, so who knows.
 
Yeah, I really only notice it if I'm sitting still. But it happens at all times of day, no matter how much or little sleep I've gotten. And it's almost always the same "spots": my right hip, right ankle, right shoulder.

Very rarely I'll have a twitch or two on my left side, but that's very rare. The right sided bits are daily here in the last 2 or 3 weeks.
 
hello everyone I have been dealing with for 5 months as far the seizures for 35yrs.The seizures I can deal with but this other thing is new to me.
 
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