types and signs of ataxia

This week I'm going to talk about something that I've already talked about a few months ago.Except this time I want to talk more about the different types about and less about my personal experience.The topic is ataxia,which is a neurological side effect and Greek for "lack of order".It causes lack of muscle control,most seen in walking.It's a dysfunction of the parts of the nervous system that control movement,a example of that is the cerebellum.

There are three major types,cerebellar,sensory and vestibular.I'm going to focus more on the first of these because that's the one most common with people with neurological disorders.People with cerebellar ataxia tend to have problems with muscle contractions,and problems with gait and eye movements.People with it may also have balance problems,which may be hard to figure out if it's ataxia or not because it's also common with brain trauma and brain surgery survivors in general.The common way that it can be determined by how someone walks is either by widened base and high stepping,or by staggering and lurching from side to side.Another common sign is speech impediments.some of the most common of these are slowed speech,stuttering, irregular rhythm and  of the voice.Another common sign is tremors which may include the head,torso and limbs.One of the more interesting ones is abnormal writing,which often include large uneven letters.

Sensory ataxia is usually caused by the spinal cord and signs include stomping gait and postural instability.Vestibular ataxia is caused by caused by the dysfunction of the vestibular system.Common signs include eye movements,problems with walking,,vertigo, nausea and vomiting.

The most common medical conditions that causes ataxia are stroke,brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord disorders,niemann pick disease,chiari malformation,and wilson's disease.Other causes include exogenous substances,radiation poisoning.,and vitamin b12 definceny.Treatment includes both Physical therapy and ,occupational therapy and meds.

 Below are links to where I got my info and my own personal experience with ataxia.Next week I will have a guest blogger because I'll be busy at work  with the summer holiday.Thanks for reading :)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia

http://timothy-landry.blogspot.com/2012/01/ataxia.html