What is ataxia? More than 80% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience deficits of balance and/or coordination during the course of their disease. Impaired balance is often one of their earliest complaints. Hence, “ataxia” is a major target of their treatment. But what does this term really mean? Ataxia is a word of Greek origin meaning disorder or confusion. In clinical language it broadly denotes motor incoordination. During most movements, either voluntary or involuntary, our muscles are recruited following a precise spatial–temporal chain. Ataxia may stem from weakness, spasm, or wrong timing (early or late onset) of contraction across the linked muscles. With any of these mechanisms, ataxia can affect movement of the limbs as well as speech, swallowing, respiration, and bowel or bladder voiding. Balance deficits can also be ascribed to the family of ataxic symptoms, although balance disturbances may accompany many other motor disorders. Given the higher prevalence and disabling impact of balance disturbance in MS patients, compared to limb ataxia, most of this chapter will focus upon the balance issue. Also, the words ataxia and imbalance will sometimes be used interchangeably. Intention tremor is also an ataxic symptom. In MS it may be absent, mild, or indeed devastating. As a sign of ataxia, it may be interpreted simply as a series of hypermetric corrections of misdirected voluntary motions (frequently detected in the classic finger-to-nose test). A discussion of the classification of tremor is beyond the scope of this chapter.

Ataxia and imbalance in Multiple Sclerosis / L.Tesio - In: Multiple Sclerosis: recovery of function and neurorehabilitation / [a cura di] J. Kesselring, G. Comi, A.J. Thompson. - [s.l] : Cambridge University Press, 2010. - ISBN 978-0-521-88832-5. - pp. 201-214 [10.1017/CBO9780511781698.024]

Ataxia and imbalance in Multiple Sclerosis

L. Tesio
Primo
2010

Abstract

What is ataxia? More than 80% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience deficits of balance and/or coordination during the course of their disease. Impaired balance is often one of their earliest complaints. Hence, “ataxia” is a major target of their treatment. But what does this term really mean? Ataxia is a word of Greek origin meaning disorder or confusion. In clinical language it broadly denotes motor incoordination. During most movements, either voluntary or involuntary, our muscles are recruited following a precise spatial–temporal chain. Ataxia may stem from weakness, spasm, or wrong timing (early or late onset) of contraction across the linked muscles. With any of these mechanisms, ataxia can affect movement of the limbs as well as speech, swallowing, respiration, and bowel or bladder voiding. Balance deficits can also be ascribed to the family of ataxic symptoms, although balance disturbances may accompany many other motor disorders. Given the higher prevalence and disabling impact of balance disturbance in MS patients, compared to limb ataxia, most of this chapter will focus upon the balance issue. Also, the words ataxia and imbalance will sometimes be used interchangeably. Intention tremor is also an ataxic symptom. In MS it may be absent, mild, or indeed devastating. As a sign of ataxia, it may be interpreted simply as a series of hypermetric corrections of misdirected voluntary motions (frequently detected in the classic finger-to-nose test). A discussion of the classification of tremor is beyond the scope of this chapter.
Settore MED/34 - Medicina Fisica e Riabilitativa
2010
Book Part (author)
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/146584
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