Left leg shaking uncontrollably in plank

[Anonymous]

So I am an old school Yogi, pilates, heavy lifting, strength training pro. I can hold plank position forever, it is nothing new for me.

The last month or so, though, I have had severe Elvis leg while holding plank. I can't stop it from shaking. The kind of shake when you're scared..so for me, like when I'm high up on a roped climb.

Nothing has really changed in my health, diet or workouts, and I can't figure this out.

I can no longer do planks or push ups well, or at all, because I can't stop the shaking in my leg.

Any ideas, or is this just a mystery? Google has been no help so far.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

43 year old female.

[Anonymous]

If it's one leg, every single time, I'd see your doctor. I occasionally get weird muscle cramping or shaking (and I'm also a serious athlete), but it's intermittent and usually related to dehydration. I also need to make sure my potassium and magnesium are where they should be.

It may well just be a pinched nerve or something, but is still worth asking about. I'm a 42 year old woman, FWIW, and these kinds of weird things have happened more as I've gotten older. I wouldn't freak out, but I also wouldn't ignore it if it persists.

[Anonymous]

Maybe go see a physical therapist? You could have them observe you while doing a plank so they can see what the shaking looks like. They would know what kinds of questions to ask and what other kinds of moves/stretches to observe to try to determine the origin. They would probably have an idea about whether it's a pinched nerve or something needing to be released, and could possibly help with soft tissue work and certain types of stretching. If they think it's something that needs to be addressed by an orthopedist or neurologist I'm sure they'd be able tell you that too.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody for the good suggestions and advice!

[Anonymous]

My DS takes sodium chloride tablets, basically salt. He hates gatorade and this helps with cramping. Now, you aren't experiencing cramping but maybe this is similar? Also, magnesium is good for muscle issues. Maybe you weakened some muscle tendons but not bad enough to bother you all the time?

[Anonymous]

It’s from nerve damage

[Anonymous]

BS on nerve damage. It is the muscle fatiguing. Kreb cycle in physiology.

[Anonymous]

Are you doing the planks/get shaky leg at the start, middle, or is it the last part of your workout?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS on nerve damage. It is the muscle fatiguing. Kreb cycle in physiology.

I have muscle shaking/fatigue that has gotten much worse in the past year. Supplements that support the Krebs cycle have fixed it (for now). I do have a diagnosed genetic issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS on nerve damage. It is the muscle fatiguing. Kreb cycle in physiology.

two things:
I have all the nerve damage in one leg from a bad back injury (two levels, had a bad limp pre-surgery and a bouquet of symptoms since). I've not had shaking as an issue.


OTOH, nerves are super weird and one of the weird things my back does is cause muscle spasms/cramps all down that leg.


So, I wouldn't rule out nerve issues but you should probably see a doctor and maybe a neurologist. Do you have any sciatica or back pain? How's your hip flexibility?

[Anonymous]

I had something similar. It originated from nerve damage in my quad. The PT had this device with small paddles that he used to test my nerve. At the places where it was functioning fine, it made a noise. At the places of damage it didn’t.

The fix was easy but long. 2-3 times a week I went to PT and got electrical stimulation at the damages spot. I also got massage which was excruciating but it was only for a few mi it’s a session. Took about six weeks.

Thing is that not all PTs buy into this treatment. I saw some who said I just needed strength training. Thing is that I exercise a lot and am very strong. If strength training would have worked, I wouldn’t have needed PT because I did strength training everyday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had something similar. It originated from nerve damage in my quad. The PT had this device with small paddles that he used to test my nerve. At the places where it was functioning fine, it made a noise. At the places of damage it didn’t.

The fix was easy but long. 2-3 times a week I went to PT and got electrical stimulation at the damages spot. I also got massage which was excruciating but it was only for a few mi it’s a session. Took about six weeks.

Thing is that not all PTs buy into this treatment. I saw some who said I just needed strength training. Thing is that I exercise a lot and am very strong. If strength training would have worked, I wouldn’t have needed PT because I did strength training everyday.

I have needed PT the most when I was in shape. You can be strong overall and still have weak spots or uneven strength and flexibility that cause problems. But I totally agree that not all PTs are good. Some seem to follow a formula for everyone with similar pain without trying to figure out what is going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS on nerve damage. It is the muscle fatiguing. Kreb cycle in physiology.

Why would it just be one leg, though? Given what the OP describes, something CNS related sounds much more plausible than random left leg weakness--which in itself should be evaluated.