What caused twitching and pain in my hands?

Q: I am 27 years old. Three years back, when I was sitting in front of my computer and focussing on a single place on the screen for a long time, my face suddenly twitched and my hands became numb. I broke into a sweat, and after 15 minutes I returned to a normal state. After this episode, I had pain in my hands due to twitching. This episode has not recurred after that. At that time my doctor had advised that I get my serum calcium levels checked. What could be the reason for it? Can it recur in future?

A:The fact that the episode has not recurred in three years is reassuring. A low calcium level can be associated with muscle contraction and numbness in the hands, and that is why your doctor had recommended you have a blood test for calcium done (but you have not mentioned if you went ahead with it). It would appear that you have now been without symptoms for a prolonged period of time, and so I am not sure what investigations might be warranted now. If you did not have calcium levels drawn three years ago, it would certainly do no harm to have them done now. Otherwise it might be prudent to wait and see. Should there be another episode, then of course you would need to consult your doctor again.