# Involuntary Leg Spasms: Common Occurence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562 "2003-03-23T16:40:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/1 "2003-03-23T16:40:57Z")
If I position my feet and legs just right with my heel off the ground, and the front of my foot squarely on the ground, and get my leg started in a vibrating motion. It will continue to vibrate indefinately without any consious effort on my part until I “will” it to stop. My question: Is that normal? Can everyone here spaz out there leg? Assuming someone can, I can do both at the same time, how about you? ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/2 "2003-03-23T16:42:56Z")
Sorry, I know it’s completely irrelevant, but as a card-carrying member of the grammar police, I can’t help but to slap myself. “Can everyone here spaz out THEIR leg?” ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/3 "2003-03-23T16:59:31Z")
In response to the OP… No…you’re wierd…'nuff said? 😃 Seriously, I’ve never heard that this was a normal thing. However, it doesn’t sound like a worrysome thing either. Just enjoy your uniqueness! ---
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/4 "2003-03-23T17:06:50Z")
I get this a lot, and its even more marked if you rest your foot on a bar of some sort (a rod, not a place to put drinks on), such that the bar goes accross somewhere behind the widest part of the foot IIRC). At some point, your foot will start to vibrate and can get quite violent until you take the pressure off. ---
**Author:** ![Tal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@Tal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/5 "2003-03-23T17:12:33Z")
THis happens to me…not all the time, but not infrequently - often associated with a period of stress or fatigue ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/6 "2003-03-23T17:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tal \* > \*\*THis happens to me…not all the time, but not infrequently - often associated with a period of stress or fatigue \*\* Hmmm… what I’m talking about is completely innocuous and I do it for fun. If yours is stress related, you might want to check into that! I also think that maybe Ruby hit this particular nail right on the head! ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/7 "2003-03-23T17:34:10Z")
Aye, Captain, just set and raise the heel until my foot is resting on the ball and let er go, can drive the so nuts doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/8 "2003-03-23T17:42:49Z")
“Sewing Machine Leg” is a term we use when rock climbing. When your leg is bent at the knee and your foot is positioned so that some or all of your weight is on the ball of your foot. In the case of climbing, it’s associated with muscle fatigue – if you leg is fully extended, there’s usually no problem, or when you knee is fully bent, there is usually no problem. But that halfway point… as soon as your leg gets even a little tired, it shakes. If the fatigue isn’t severe, you can sometimes “concentrate” to make it stop. If the muscles have been working hard, you’ll have to change positions to get it to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/9 "2003-03-23T18:33:06Z")
This happens to me often. I’m sure it happens to alot of people, just some don’t notice it. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/10 "2003-03-24T03:07:21Z")
I sure did picture Robert Klein with a harmonica, singing, “I Can’t Stop My Leg!” ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/11 "2003-03-24T03:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptBushido \* > \*\*Sorry, I know it’s completely irrelevant, but as a card-carrying member of the grammar police, I can’t help but to slap myself. > “Can everyone here spaz out THEIR leg?” \*\* Can I join in to point out that should properly be, “Can everyone here spaz out **his or her** leg?” You know, if you want to get picky. Yes, that happens to me, too. Sometimes it will even happen while stretching in exercise class, if my foot ends up in the right (wrong?) position. I’ve always thought it was the same response that you get from a dog when you scratch it in the right place. ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/12 "2003-03-24T03:22:57Z")
Maybe it’s because I’m a gun-hording, yee-hawing conservative, but I’ve never bought into the whole “his or her” thing. It’s all good, though. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/13 "2003-03-24T03:43:39Z")
A Straight Dope Staff Report on [Why do your legs tremble uncontrollably sometimes when rock climbing?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mclimb.html) ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/14 "2003-03-24T03:44:11Z")
Okay, we can just go with “his.” Grammar before feminism, every time. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/involuntary-leg-spasms-common-occurence/163562/15 "2003-03-24T04:08:57Z")
I don’t think what I experience is this “Sewing machine leg” that Eats\_Crayons and the link is talking about because there is certainly no fatigue or stress involved; it’s like herman\_and\_bill said: just put pressure on the ball of your foot and let 'er go! Maybe the fact that this occurs always without fail regardless of my state of physical exertion is a sign that I should never take up rock climbing!