RLR
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Okay Rosekay, you need to calm down and take a breath. One of the worst assumptions that persons can make is over-emphasizing specific aspects of a neurological examination. In fact, many physicians not trained in neurology are sometimes guilty of making the same error.
Here's a general rule that is steadfast in the world of neurology. Neurological signs are significant by the company they keep. In other words, a sign of clonus(and I would want to know whether this clonus was sustained or non-sustained and either unilateral or bilateral) would not really ruffle my feathers unless it was accompanied by other neurological signs in some combination such as increased tone, changes in vision, changes in voice( a type of nasal quality accompanied by thick-tongued speech), episodes of choking or difficulty swallowing, muscular atrophy, unexplained anxiety or restlessness, changes in personality (for the better strangely enough when cited by family members) and supporting diagnostic tests like an electromyography. Your age at onset of first symptoms would also be important. So a lot of symptoms need to be presented in concert for it to become significant. I've seen non-sustained clonus in otherwise healthy individuals and in cases where spinal injuries such as a disc problem are present. So by itself, clonus is not all that remarkable.
If the muscle twitches you are experiencing are instead something known as fasciculations, then it would be of significance with regard to the clonus sign. Fasciculations can appear under two conditions, either spontaneous or demonstrated on percussion. In other words, spontaneous fasciculations appear typically on the extremeties and when examining the outer skin's surface, they sort of appear at random places along the line of muscle groups. If not present, a reflex hammer can be used to tap the surface of the skin and elicit the fasciculations. When the skin's surface is tapped, the fasciculations begin appearing afterward and fade over a period of a few seconds or more.
Fasciculations are an indication that communication between the nervous system and muscle tissue is being disrupted for some reason. Again, this is not to say you have fasciculations, only that they can sometimes be confused with mere muscle twitches of a non-significant variety.
What's important here is for you to take a breath and relax. Clonus can arise for many reasons and your neurologist is simply following through with diagnostic tests to rule out certain diseases and disorders. At this point, it's entirely too early to make assumptions, particularly those that bring about unrest.
If you obtain test results and wish to share them, I'll be glad to discuss them with you and we can talk about implications. I'm sure, however, that your neurologist will do so at some point. Again, try to relax and for the time being, I'd stay clear of reading too much into this for now.
Best regards and Good Health
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