Movement is life. People walk and run, waving their arms, and cannot bend their little fingers on their hands, leaving their ring fingers straight - the simplest examples of synkinesia. This is normal, although pathologies exist in this area. Let's talk a little bit about this.
What is synkinesia?
Many movements people make unconsciously. We breathe and blink without special efforts. We can scratch ourselves or do something else without even noticing it. There is even a special category of so-called friendly involuntary movements called synkinesias. This in some cases is absolutely normal, but sometimes it also happens to be a pathology. Moreover, it happens that the absence of any movement is abnormal.
Physiological and pathological
Synkinesis is divided into those that are normal for the human body, and those that require attention from doctors.
Physiological ones include, for example, abduction of the eyeballs during sharp squinting, warping of the face with considerable physical effort, or waving with hands when walking fast or running. These are involuntary movements that we do not notice and sometimes even cannot control. We owe their appearance to evolution - in this way nature helps to learn new skills. This is clearly seen in the example of children: those who, for example, learn to write or draw, often stick out their tongues "from diligence." After mastering a new skill, this habit passes, and this is completely normal.
But it happens that such "additions" are signs of any disturbances or a consequence of the insufficient development of some parts of the body. Pathological synkinesia often accompanies speech therapy problems in preschoolers, can develop after paralysis and other types of damage to the nervous system.
Causes
Synkinesia is always some kind of problem with the central nervous system, conduction of the nerve pathways. The most obvious example is, for example, the Hunn symptom. It is expressed in involuntary squinting or rapid blinking of one eye when moving in the area of the cheeks, nose, lips. As a rule, the cause is incorrect or incomplete regeneration of the facial nerve after its damage.
There are more unpleasant manifestations, expressed in bizarre grimaces, sometimes similar to cramps, especially when it comes to facial expressions. It is not surprising that, as a result, patients also acquire psychological problems. So you can’t neglect medical help, and if such violations occur, you should immediately contact the doctors, because the success of treatment also depends on this.
Treatment
It was previously believed that the correction of this type of disease is impossible. Fortunately, modern medicine has a fairly rich arsenal of tools that can help get rid of such a problem as synkinesia. These are reflexology, massage, physiotherapy exercises, medicines, physiotherapeutic procedures and surgical methods. The prognosis depends on many factors, and in each case only a doctor can make any conclusions. With timely detection and diagnosis, usually treatment of synkinesia together with the underlying disease leads to compensation of motor functions and the elimination of gross cosmetic defects. So, for example, in the past few decades, doctors have also adopted botulinum toxin, which paralyzes muscles, against this ailment.
Effective prevention does not exist. However, as practice shows, an increase in motor activity counteracts the appearance of such disorders with an increased tendency to them.