Each healthy person is able to control his movements, that is, he can, at his will, slow down or accelerate the movements of the limbs, change their amplitude and direction of movement. However, the situation changes dramatically if various disorders of the nervous system appear. In particular, if the process affects the area that regulates motor activity, then involuntary movements appear. Consider the basic motor disorders associated with this process.
Human nervous system diseases
The nervous system, which is composed of the central (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral (nerves, nerve processes and endings) systems, regulates all the processes that occur in the human body. Violations in her work are manifested by a variety of pathologies that affect both the work of internal organs and systems, and higher nervous activity. This is because the nervous system is extremely branched, and each part of it is unique. Often, one of the symptoms of diseases of the nervous system are motor disorders, including involuntary movements. As a rule, the most common of these are:
- tremor (trembling) - represents involuntary, rhythmic vibrations of a part of the body (most often it is the head or hands);
- hyperkinesis - enhanced muscle movements that differ from tremors in greater amplitude;
- myoclonus - sharp, sudden involuntary contractions of muscle groups (trembling) that capture the entire body, its upper part or arms.
Essential tremor
This type of tremor is one of the most common forms of involuntary movements. It can manifest itself both in youthful and senile age. Often the hereditary factor becomes decisive. This type of involuntary movement is a postural tremor that appears when you change the position of one hand first, then two. It can be amplified to the extent that it interferes with writing, holding small objects in hands. Most often this happens with excitement and after drinking alcohol. The process can capture the head, chin, tongue, as well as the trunk and legs. However, most often essential tremor is a trembling hand. Treatment in most cases is not required. If the tremor is pronounced and interferes with the normal functioning of a person, as a rule, a neurologist prescribes beta blockers. If excitement and anxiety are a provoking factor causing hand tremors, treatment may consist of taking tranquilizers.
Parkinson's disease
Another common ailment, a sign of which becomes a pronounced violation of motor functions, is Parkinson's disease. This pathology is associated with the gradual death of brain neurons that produce dopamine (a mediator that regulates movement and muscle tone). According to statistics, every one hundred people who have passed the sixty-year milestone are affected by this disease. Men get sick more often than women. The causes of the ailment have not been studied in detail. For a person with a diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, treatment, unfortunately, is symptomatic and does not guarantee recovery.
As a rule, the first symptoms of the disease often go unnoticed. As it develops, a decrease in sleight of hand is noted, facial expressions become scarcer, a mask-like face appears. There is also tremor of the extremities, involuntary head movements, speech disturbance, and the ability to control one’s movements. Slow walking can be replaced by an irresistible run, which the patient is not able to stop on his own. In the future, the imbalance and problems with walking are amplified.
Treatment
With such an ailment as Parkinson's disease, treatment most often comes down to the use of drugs that slow down the development of the disease. That is why it is so important to identify it in the early stages. When the first symptoms appear, when there is a chance to slow down the destruction of brain neurons, you need to consult a neurologist.
To date, the main drug that slows down the pathological process is Levodopa. It is used in conjunction with several more groups of drugs, but, unfortunately, it can only slow down the development of the disease. However, active research is currently underway on the possibility of surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease - transplantation of cells capable of producing dopamine to the patient.
Chorea
Another disease, the sign of which is hyperkinesis (uncontrolled movements), is chorea. In a broad sense, it can most likely be called a symptom complex, since the causes that cause it can be very different. Chorea is manifested by involuntary waving movements of the limbs, head and trunk. The tongue and facial muscles may also be involved. Often these movements are compared with grimacing, dancing. It is characteristic that during sleep all the symptoms completely disappear.
Causes of Chorea
As already mentioned, involuntary movements in chorea can be caused by a number of unrelated reasons. The most common factors are:
- heredity - with many hereditary genetic diseases, such as Konovalov-Wilson's disease, symptoms of chorea are observed;
- Cerebral palsy;
- long-term use of drugs - it can be antipsychotics, antiemetics;
- infectious diseases - often involuntary movements in children (small chorea) occur after streptococcal tonsillitis;
- chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency;
- inflammatory diseases of the brain (vasculitis);
- hormonal disorders (in particular, with insufficient function of the parathyroid glands).
The treatment of chorea depends on the cause that caused it. This may be the treatment of the underlying disease, drug withdrawal or a reduction in its dose if the overdose has become the cause, as well as symptomatic treatment for cerebral palsy and insufficient blood supply to the brain. With chorea of any etiology, B vitamins and drugs that improve nutrition and stimulate brain function (neurotrophics, nootropics) are used.
Myoclonus
Another involuntary movement is myoclonus. Most often, this phenomenon can be observed in oneself or in other people when falling asleep. It is also called "night tremors." As a rule, they are absolutely safe, but in some cases they are expressed to such an extent that sleep disturbance occurs. Most often this happens when a person is relaxed and ready to sleep. Muscle contractions can provoke noise or other external factors, while the process of falling asleep can be significantly impaired. Usually, sleep myoclonia does not require medical treatment.
The situation becomes much more serious if a person has myoclonic seizures or convulsions. As a rule, they are one of the signs of such a serious disease as epilepsy. A miclonic attack can cause a fall, during which there is a high risk of fractures or traumatic brain injury. The duration of the attack is 1-2 seconds, it starts abruptly and ends abruptly.
Myoclonic cramps are more often manifested by muscle contractions in the hands. In the early stages, only the patient himself notes them, over time they are aggravated - a person drops objects, cannot hold them in his hands. Most often, such attacks are observed several hours after waking up. In case of untimely contact with specialists, the process generalizes, and tonic-clonic convulsions and loss of consciousness join seizures in the limbs.
Hyperkinesia in children
Both adults and children can suffer involuntary movements, while the latter are most characterized by tick-shaped manifestations. Most often this is expressed in brief repetitive contractions of individual groups of facial muscles. As a rule, such phenomena occur after overwork or excessive excitement of the child. Another common hyperkinesis in children is chorea. It is characterized by periodic twitching of the muscles of the head and shoulder girdle. The main reason is usually the stress suffered by the child, which may be a minor event, from the point of view of an adult. That is why parents need to be careful about the slightest manifestations of involuntary movements in their children.
As you can see, a healthy person is able to make both voluntary and involuntary movements. However, if they begin to affect the quality of life, neurologist consultation is necessary.