Poor Muscle Control - Ataxia - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

Ataxia is the medical term for when you have poor muscle control. This can make your movements to be uncertain, awkward, or clumsy. Ataxia can affect your balance, hand coordination, speech, swallowing, and eye movements. Ataxia can be a symptom of a disease which is extremely common. It can also be a disease on its own, which is usually genetic and less common.

Types

There are three main types of Ataxia.

Cerebellar ataxia which is when there is a problem with your cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of your brain that controls muscle coordination.
Sensory ataxia disrupts your self-positioning sense. Which is the sense your body has in being able to know where your body parts are without having to see them.
Vestibular ataxia is a problem with the inner ears. The inner ears are part of your balance, so a problem with the inner ear can cause your sense of balance to be off.

When having ataxia you can have acquired, inherited, or sporadic ataxia.

Acquired ataxia is when a condition you develop at some point causes your ataxia.
Inherited is when your ataxia comes from a genetic condition.
Sporadic ataxia is when your DNA spontaneously mutates while you are a fetus that is random and no one can explain why the mutation occurred.

There are lots of things that can cause ataxia whether they be short lived and treated, or be lifelong conditions that just need to be managed. Examples are alcohol intoxication, brain tumors, celiac disease, concussions, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, hypothyroidism, or an autoimmune disease.

Risks

If you have someone in your family that suffers from ataxia you have a higher risk of developing it yourself.
Taking certain medications can also raise your risk, such as anti-seizure medications.
Drinking too much.
Having a condition like hypothyroidism or celiac disease also raises your risk.
Being exposed to heavy metals.
Having a vitamin deficiency in vitamin E, B-6, B-12, or B1.

Symptoms

Symptoms of ataxia are poor coordination, walking unsteady, poor balance, trouble with fine motor skills, changes in speech, back and forth eye movement, and trouble swallowing.

There are some warning signs that may mean that the ataxia you are experiencing is more severe. If you have ataxia that comes on suddenly or gets worse over time. If it happens along with headaches, nausea, and vomiting. If you experience ataxia and trouble swallowing, trouble speaking, or small uncontrollable eye movements. Ataxia along with other stroke symptoms. If your ataxia lasts longer than a few days. If the ataxia is interfering with your activities or routines. These are all medical emergency signs that you will want to get in with a doctor as soon as possible.

Diagnosis

When diagnosing ataxia, your doctor is going to be looking for something they can treat. You may undergo physical and neurological exams. Your doctor will most likely check your vision, balance, coordination, and reflexes. Blood tests may be ran to look for a cause of your ataxia. MRI scans can help show shrinking of the cerebellum, or blood clots and tumors. A lumbar puncture, which is done by taking a long needle and inserting it between two bones to remove cerebrospinal fluid that is then tested, can be done to look for infection and swelling. The cerebrospinal fluid is the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. Genetic testing may also be recommended it no other cause is found.

Treatment

Treatment for ataxia completely depends on why your ataxia is happening. If it is temporary, you usually don’t need any treatment. It will resolve on its own. Minor treatments may be needed for things like vitamin deficiencies. Your doctor will be able to personalize the best treatment for you once the cause of your ataxia is found. Then you will either have a treatment plan, or management plan depending on what is causing your ataxia.

Ataxia can be caused by a lot of different things, and some very serious. It is not always wise to try and treat your ataxia on your own. Getting medical advice can help rule out more serious causes before you try a treatment plan.