Something that not a lot of people are educated on is a movement disorder. Movement disorders are neurological conditions that will affect your body’s ability to control and make different kinds of movements. Not a lot of people are familiar with them because they are quite hard to diagnose. If you and your doctor are thinking that this might be the case for you, you will need to go through many evaluations performed by neuroscientists to determine the cause and all of the symptoms. If you want to get to know more about this disorder, here are the most common symptoms and causes.
Different Types of Movement Disorders
When it comes to types of movement disorders, there are numerous ones as it is quite a personal disorder. Here are some of the most common ones:
● Essential Tremor
Essential tremor is a nervous system disorder that will cause your body to have uncountable shaking.
● Parkinson’s Disease
Something that is more familiar to people is Parkinson’s disease and it is a nervous system disorder that is accompanied by tremors.
● Dystonia
Dystonia is usually causing abnormal and repetitive movements caused by persistent muscle contractions.
● Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
This is a condition that will directly affect walking, balancing as well as eye movements.
● Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless leg syndrome is something that quite a few people suffer from. It is followed by uncomfortable sensations in the legs as well as the constant urge to move them.
● Tourette Syndrome
A syndrome that a lot of people are familiar with is Tourette’s syndrome. It is a condition that involves repetitive movements and/or unwanted sounds.
Drugs As The Cause Of Movement Disorders
Movement disorders can be caused by drugs, and here are some of the most common movement disorders that will occur as a side effect or drug abuse.
● hypokinesia
● chorea
● athetosis
● tics
● dystonia’s
These are just the most common movement disorders that are caused by taking drugs. In most cases, the drugs that will have this as a side effect are medications that are taken for psychiatric conditions as well as anti-nausea medications.
Chronic Diseases And Movement Disorders
Research has shown that chronic diseases such as an overactive thyroid gland often causes abnormal movements such as body tremors. Recent research has shown that those struggling with chronic diseases can benefit from CBD consumption as it will help with movement disorders and the pain that come with it.
Alcohol Consumption
What a lot of people don’t know is that alcohol conditions can actually cause movement disorders. That is called ataxia which is the coordination and balance problem that most face when they are intoxicated.
Iron Deficiency
Another very interesting cause of movement disorders is iron deficiency. Even though there is no proof that restless leg syndrome is 100 per cent caused by iron deficiency, it is often the case, especially during pregnancy.
Excess Copper In The Body
Something that a lot of people don’t know about is Wilson’s disease. This disease is mainly characterized by abnormal movements as well as liver disease and psychiatric issues. Having excess copper in your body affects around 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 40,000 individuals. It is more common amongst Italians, Sicilians as well as Japanese, but it can affect all races. In most cases, it is caused by a generic problem located in the 13th chromosome.
Treating Movement Disorders
When it comes to movement disorders it is important that in most cases they cannot be cured. What you can do is minimize the symptoms and relieve the pain that is causing you by taking medications and therapy. Treating movement disorders will solely depend on the cause of it and the therapy is often unique and personalized. Here are some most common treatments:
● Drug therapies that will control the symptoms
● Physical or occupational therapy to help maintain or even restore your ability to control the movements
● Deep brain stimulations, which is a surgical treatment that will use an implant to stimulate your brain just on that part that controls movement
● Botulinum toxin injections in order to help prevent muscle contractions
As movement disorders are very unique and no two are the same, it is important that you are choosing a neuroscientist that will create an individualized treatment plan. Always make sure that you are consulting with a professional before self-diagnosing and prescribing yourself medication.
