Why must I bounce my leg?

Factual Questions
21

I’m male and I do this all the time. I also tend to drum on my desk and keyboard. I’m amazed my co-workers haven’t had me taken out and shot yet. I have noticed that I do it more when I’ve had some coffee, so I think it’s a simple manifestation of nervous energy.

I remember a girl in my high school class who used to do something similar, but she would have her legs crossed and bounce her foot. If you watched her while she was taking a test, you could tell her thought patterns. By that I mean that she would read a question and her foot would start slowing down as she thought. Then, when she figured out the answer she would write it down and her foot would go back to idling speed until she read the next question.

You out there, Elaine? :slight_smile:

RR

22

“Sewing machine leg” (SML) is ankle clonus, a repetitive flexion and extension of the dorsiflexed foot. It is due to a hyperactive ankle jerk reflex. In pathological cases, it reflects an upper motor neuron lesion of the nervous system (e.g. brain or spinal cord lesion). Otherwise normal people may exhibit ankle clonus during stressful situations that result in hyperadrenergic states…two examples are rock climbers who overextend themselves during a difficult pitch (this happened to me once in Kings Canyon National Park), and drivers involved in a near (or actual) accident…SML can present real problems with working the foot pedals of the car…

The knee-jumping described is different, but only in degree. It seems to be a manefestation of excess energy and irritability, but not to the point of an uncontrollable reflex.

BTW, the way to break ankle clonus is not to push the heel down, but to plantar flex the ankle joint, which seems to be the opposite of what the SDMB Archive stated.

23

Perhaps God is making you do it :wink:

24

I often swing my legs like there were an invisible Thighmaster.

25

I always attributed it to being on a nerve or something to that effect. I can get it to happen everytime that I adjust my leg to a certain angle with the ball of my foot down and my heel on about a 45 degree angle. It stop immediately when I put my heel down. I can do it with both legs although they aren’t synchronous and have known both males and females to be able to do it, although I never found anybody that can match the speed my legs bounce at :slight_smile:

26

I started having “Happy legs” when I was in my early teens, and I still have it, in my mid thirties. My fraternal twin brother does not have it. I’m not sure if I believe the “I don’t want to be here” theory, since It happens at movies and at home. All it takes is the right chair, and my ass to be in it for any extended period of time. I have to concentrate to stop also, but as soon as my mind wanders, off they go again. My wife hates it, but she might as well tell me to stop blinking.

Ive had the sewing machine leg also, and concur that it’s a different animal. That seems to happen solely in the calf, whereas “happy leg” takes into the whole leg, thigh, knee, ankle, and all.

27

I do the same thing, and I’ve done it since I was about twelve. I am unsure about the not wanting to be here thing, because I often do it in social situation when I am really having fun.

Weird that more men do it.

28

I will do this, but only occasionally, and I don’t think it’s linked to stress, either. For some reason right then it’ll just feel really good to bounce my leg up and down, and if I try to move it at a different rate, it just feels… wrong. If I try to do it right now, when I don’t feel like it, it feels wrong also - it’s a conscious effort to move it quickly, and the rhythm doesn’t come naturally at all.

I’m female, BTW.

29

I’m 21 years old, and just started having “bouncy leg” syndrome a few months ago when I began taking Celexa. It seems to have improved a bit since I’ve cut down on the dosage. I remember my psychiatrist offered me a medication that would stop it, but it had other side effects so I declined. But help is out there for those who find it particularly distracting.

30

I’ve done this for as long as I can remember, especially at school or work.

31

A couple people in my class do it now - today we had a looong class no one wanted to be in, and the girl’s right heel was bouncing away - fine in it’s self, except that on every bounce her shoe lace end would click against one of the metal lace holder things. So there I was sitting in class, and the only thing that kept me from falling alseep was this god damned:

“click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click”

(yes, it’s even more annoying to listen to than to read)

“click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click”

Time to pull out the rifle I think! The guy that does it almost gets his ass kicked on a daily basis; his whole lower leg bounces so violently that when it’s touching the bench he’ll shake the whole damn table to the point no one can take notes :mad:

If you must fidget, please do take the hint when people start scowling at you… :stuck_out_tongue: