Premium
Continuous motor unit activity confined to the upper extremities
Author(s) -
Tandan Rup,
Fries Timothy J.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.880110310
Subject(s) - motor unit , electromyography , medicine , anatomy , motor nerve , peripheral , motor unit recruitment , motor activity , anesthesia , physical medicine and rehabilitation
We report a patient with clinical vermiform motor activity, muscle cramps, delayed relaxation of grip, and continuous motor unit discharges who developed mild symmetric symptoms in the upper extremities following a viral infection. Treatment with carbamazepine produced considerable symptomatic improvement. Needle electromyography (EMG) in several muscles showed irregular grouped spontaneous discharges composed of potentials resembling normal motor units. The discharges occurred asynchronously in distal muscles with identical and different peripheral nerve innervation but were not seen in more proximal muscles innervated by the same nerves. Our EMG findings indicate an origin of this spontaneous activity in the terminal branched motor nerves.