Ataxia is a movement disorder that is one of the most common motor disorders. Neuromuscular, genetically determined disease. The strength in the limbs is completely preserved, however, the movements themselves with this disease become inaccurate, awkward, their sequence and continuity, balance when walking and standing are disturbed.
Disturbances in coordination of movement are distinguished: static (imbalance only when standing) and dynamic (discoordination during any movements).
Violation of coordination of movements in medicine is divided into types:
1. Sensitive or posterior type of ataxia. Occurs with a lesion:
- peripheral nerves;
- thalamus;
- spinal nerves;
- back columns of the spinal cord.
Sensitive ataxia inherently is a kind of violation of coordination of movement and gait. Characteristic of this type of ataxia is the lack of a sense of support. Patients do not feel their movements and do not feel a foot of hard surfaces. This happens due to a violation of muscular-articular sensitivity.
2. Cerebellar type of ataxia. It occurs in connection with the defeat of some cerebellar systems. The cerebellar type of impaired coordination of movement is divided into two forms:
- dynamic ataxia - damage to the cerebellar hemispheres (the function of performing various voluntary movements of the upper and lower extremities is frustrated). Dynamic coordinating disorder is manifested by hypermetry (disproportionality, excessive movement); plowing, intentional tremor (trembling limbs at the end of a targeted movement); speech disorder (discoordination of the speech-motor apparatus).
- Static-locomotor ataxia - the predominant lesion of the cerebellar worm itself (gait and stability are mainly impaired). Patients walk, staggering, and with each step of the foot they spread very widely. In severe cases, some patients fall forward in a standing position (with damage to the front of the cerebellum), or backward (with damage to the back of the cerebellum), practically do not hold their heads.
Cerebellar ataxia is most often observed with intoxication, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis, cerebellar diseases of a vascular nature, as well as with tumors.
3. The vestibular type of ataxia. It is caused by disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus and is manifested in the form of discoordination of movements. It is characterized by systematic dizziness, accompanied by vomiting and nausea. With a change in body position, as well as with a sharp movement of the head, the characteristic symptomatology only intensifies.
4. Cortical type of ataxia. Impaired coordination of movement in this case is due to disorders of the functions of the cortex of the anterior frontal lobe. From these departments, pathways pass directly to the cells of the cerebellar cortex, and as a result of their defeat, gait is disturbed. Patients experience shakiness, uncertainty of gait. At the moment of walking, the body body deviates backward, the feet are placed on one straight line, and sometimes “walking” of the legs is noted when walking. With the defeat of these departments, astasia (the inability to stand) and abasia (the inability to walk) are possible, all with the same ability to make movements.
Ataxia due to hereditary diseases is also noted . Impaired coordination of movement is the main clinical symptom in diseases such as Friedreich's family ataxia, hereditary cerebellar ataxia, Pierre Marie, Louis-Bar syndrome, and olivopontocerebellar degeneration.
The treatment of ataxia is most often based solely on the therapy of the initial, underlying disease. To date, therapeutic gymnastics and massage are widespread.