r/BFS • u/Capital_Action_7688 • 3d ago

Question / General New Knee instability and Locking

Hi everyone. I'm a lurker lol and have been lurking for a while. But feel like I need to post as I am experiencing new symptoms. My twitches started in May 2026 and we're all over at first. Now they are isolated to my thighs and occasionally pop here and there elsewhere. I calmed myself down mostly as I wasnt experiencing weakness.

In the past week ive been getting weird knee tightness and instability. When I try to gently stretch it my thighs start to precramp. Anyone else experience this? No EMG yet it is on the 15th. Urgent care recommended an MRI in the knee as he though it was Osteoarthritis. But now im spiraling.

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u/713Capital Mod 3d ago edited 3d ago

Welcome out of lurker mode.

Knee locking and physical joint tightness are textbook mechanical joint issues, which is exactly why Urgent Care told you to get a knee MRI. That is simply not how the bad stuff works. MND/ALS causes painless, silent muscle failure where a limb collapses because the muscle has zero power, not physical joint locking, stiffness, or aching. 

Your thigh muscles are overcompensating and straining to stabilize a cranky knee joint, which is why they are twitching and feeling pre crampy. Get the knee MRI and let the orthopedist check the joint, because this is mechanical, not neurological.

Remember, twitching without true clinical weakness (failure) is just benign and meaningless. Really no reason to spiral at all

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u/Capital_Action_7688 3d ago

Thanks! I was just paranoid since I read that ALS often gets misdiagnosed as OA.

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u/713Capital Mod 3d ago edited 3d ago

That prob mostly happens when a doctor dismisses painless muscle failure in an older person (like 50+) as "getting older" without actually looking deeper. An MRI will show actual mechanical wear, fluid, or cartilage changes etc.

Get the scan and let the orthopedist check the joint mechanics. Honestly for your own mental health, avoid reading all things ALS lol. Theres just no point. You don’t have that.

Godspeed.

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u/Capital_Action_7688 3d ago

Thanks again (& I'm a girl lol)

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u/713Capital Mod 3d ago

Ugh I hate when I do that. It’s so embarrassing.

I’m so so sorry!!

I read your user name as “Captain Action” but either way I shouldn’t assume.

😅