brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Coordination Disorders
Symptoms of Coordination Disorders
Loss of coordination prevents people from being able to control the position of their arms and legs or their posture. Thus, when they walk, they take wide steps and stagger and make broad, zigzag movements with their arms when they reach for an object. Coordination disorders can cause other abnormalities, such as the following: Ataxia:Coordination is lost. People may be unsteady when they walk and take wide steps. They may need to hold onto furniture and walls to move about. Dysmetria:People cannot control the range of body movements. For example, in attempting to reach for an object, people with dysmetria may reach beyond the object. Dysarthria : Scanning speech:People speak in a monotone with a tendency to hesitate at the beginning of a word or syllable. Nystagmus:When glancing at an object, the eyes may overshoot their target, and/or nystagmus may occur. In nystagmus, the eyes repeatedly move rapidly in one direction, then return a little more slowly to their original position. Tremor : Muscle tone may decrease. Friedreich ataxia is a hereditary disorder. The gene for Friedreich ataxia is recessive. Thus, to develop the disorder, people must inherit two copies of the abnormal gene, one from each parent. Friedreich ataxia is progressive. Walking becomes unsteady between the ages of 5 and 15. Then arm movements become uncoordinated, and speech becomes slurred and hard to understand. Many children with the disorder are born with a Clubfoot and Other Foot Defects , curved spine ( People with Friedreich ataxia cannot sense vibrations, cannot sense where their arms and legs are (lose their position sense), and no longer have reflexes. Mental function may deteriorate. Tremor, if present, is slight. Heart problems often develop and become progressively worse. By their late 20s, people with Friedreich ataxia may be confined to a wheelchair. Death, often due to an abnormal heart rhythm or heart failure, usually occurs by middle age. The gene for spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) is dominant. Thus, having only one copy of the abnormal gene, inherited from one parent, is sufficient to cause the disorder. There are many different types of these ataxias. Worldwide, SCA type 3 (formerly called Machado-Joseph disease) may be the most common. These disorders are progressive, degenerative, and often eventually fatal. There is no known effective treatment. Symptoms of SCAs vary by type, but most cause problems with sensation (for example, people feel pain, touch, and vibration less well or not at all), muscle weakness, and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) , as well as loss of coordination. People have problems with balance, speech, and eye movements. Some types typically cause only loss of coordination. SCAs are a common cause of intention tremors (triggered by a purposeful movement). People may have symptoms that resemble those of Parkinson disease ( Parkinson Disease (PD) ), such as tremors and stiff muscles. Some people with SCA type 3 have other symptoms in addition to loss of coordination and tremors. Their eye movements may be impaired, their facial muscles and the tongue may twitch uncontrollably, and their eyes may bulge. Some people have long-lasting (sustained), painful involuntary muscle contractions ( Dystonia ). 