Recently, a conference on Movement Disorder was organized in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Some of the sufferers who participated in this said that taking pain killers for a long time can cause them to have this problem. Sufferers also shared experiences about their problems and problems caused by movement disorders.
A movement disorder is a neurological disease. It can also result in physical disability if not controlled in time.
Between 2012 and 2018, 14,561 new patients were treated at movement disorder clinics in three Indian cities, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. This includes 9,578 males and 4,983 females.
So today Health waterIn we will talk about movement disorders. You will also know that-
- Why do movement disorders occur?
- What are its symptoms?
- Who is at greater risk?
- How is a movement disorder diagnosed and what is its treatment?
What is a movement disorder? All movement in our body is controlled by the brain. The brain has a part called the cerebellum, which coordinates between the brain and the body. It controls the parts of the body and commands them to react. Like hand waving, talking, walking, eye blinking etc. Damage to the cerebellum causes movement disorders.
What happens when you have a movement disorder? A movement disorder causes loss of body control. Hands and feet may tremble and there may be difficulty in speaking. If you want to raise your arm, you can't, your mouth or neck turns to one side, you can't do anything you want, all kinds of movement can be affected.
Why do movement disorders occur? Movement disorders can occur for many reasons. Some people in Jaipur took medicines without doctor's advice. Due to which he was suffering from movement disorder. However, this is one of the causes of movement disorders. Apart from this, movement disorder can occur due to many other reasons. Understand it from the following graphic-
What are the symptoms of a movement disorder? Symptoms of movement disorders can vary from person to person. In this the body parts usually work abnormally. Understand the symptoms of movement disorder from the graphic below-
Who is at greater risk for movement disorders? Dr. Director of Neurology, Shri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Delhi. Movement disorder can happen to anyone, says Rajul Aggarwal. However, some people are at higher risk and understand the following indicators-
- Someone in whose family has previously suffered from a movement disorder
- Those who are already suffering from high blood pressure or heart disease
- One who drinks too much alcohol or consumes drugs
- which is over-exposed to toxins
- Its risk increases after the age of 60.
How is movement disorder diagnosed? Cases of movement disorders are often complex. Therefore, doctors first perform various physical and neurological tests based on the patient's history. Apart from this, depending on the symptoms, they may conduct some more tests. Understand it with following pointers-
- Blood test: Some movement disorders can be detected by this
- Electromyography (EMG): This test can be done to examine the muscles and the nerves that control them.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG): This test can be done to check brain activity.
- Muscle Biopsy: This test is done to check the condition of nerves and muscles.
Apart from this, the doctor can also perform X-ray, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on these tests, they treat movement disorders.
What to do to avoid movement disorder?
Dr. A healthy lifestyle plays a major role in preventing any disease, says Rajul Aggarwal. So, always keep the points given in the graphic below in mind.
What to do if you have a movement disorder? If symptoms of movement disorder appear, consult a specialist without delay. If you have difficulty walking or notice anything unusual in any body movement, consult a local neurologist or physician immediately. During movement disorder treatment, do physical activity as advised by the doctor. Apart from this, it is also necessary to have a balanced diet.
How are movement disorders treated? Dr. Rajul Aggarwal explains that movement disorders are treated in different ways depending on the symptoms. Most movement disorders cannot be completely cured. Therefore, the goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms.
However, there are some movement disorders that can be completely cured with treatment. Understand how it is treated with the following pointers-
from drugs Many medications can control movement disorder symptoms. Such as muscle relaxants can reduce stiffness and pain.
Parkinson's disease is a type of movement disorder. Parkinson's is caused by a lack of a special chemical in the brain, dopamine. This can be corrected with dopaminergic medication.
Apart from this, depending on the conditions, other drugs can reduce the symptoms of movement disorder to a greater extent.
From physical therapy This therapy helps in improving the physical activities of the body. Physiotherapists treat movement disorder symptoms such as pain and stiffness.
From occupational therapyThis therapy helps improve the patient's ability to complete daily tasks. Occupational therapists help patients overcome difficulties in daily activities.
By things that help with physical activities
Devices like canes, walkers and wheelchairs help patients with movement disorders to walk. It reduces difficulty and pain while walking.
through speech therapy This therapy helps improve speaking and swallowing ability. A speech and language therapist or audiologist treats people with speech problems and any type of speech disorder.
through psychotherapy Movement disorders cause mental health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety. Through psychotherapy, a psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses and treats a patient's disordered feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Botulinum toxin (Botox) injectionThe effect of dystonia can be reduced with the help of this injection. Dystonia is a type of movement disorder. These may include facial muscle spasms, abnormal eye twitching, neck pain or stiffness, difficulty speaking, voice tremors, or hand cramps.
through Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Among these, brain surgery is performed for people suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, dystonia and other neurological movement disorders. With this, movement disorders can be controlled to a great extent.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
