Management of Muscle Atrophy and Twitching

Treatment Strategies

The American Academy of Neurology recommends engaging patients in task-specific practice using normal movement patterns to prevent learned non-use and promote functional recovery, such as placing the hand on surfaces while standing to prepare food, using the hand to stabilize objects during bilateral tasks, and employing anxiety management and distraction techniques when undertaking tasks 1, 2
The American Academy of Neurology suggests avoiding splinting, as it increases attention to the area, promotes accessory muscle use, causes immobilization leading to muscle deconditioning, and increases risk of learned non-use and pain 1, 2
For tendinopathy or overuse injury, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends initiating relative rest combined with eccentric strengthening exercises, avoiding complete immobilization, and applying ice for acute pain relief, as well as prescribing topical NSAIDs as first-line pharmacological treatment 3
The American College of Sports Medicine advises implementing eccentric strengthening exercises, which reverse degenerative changes and increase strength, and never completely immobilizing, as strength loss is most dramatic during the first week of immobilization 3

The American Physical Therapy Association recommends instituting physical therapy early to avoid joint contractures and muscle atrophy from disuse, incorporating both stretching and strengthening activities, as exercise has downstream effects in improving muscle function and reducing inflammation 4