Should I be concerned about involuntary jerking movements?

Doctor's Answers 1

Thank you for asking a question on such a commonly encountered scenario at the clinic.

First of all, it will be important to figure out the type of involuntary movements that you have as the causes may differ according to the type of movements. An involuntary movement occurs when you move your body in an uncontrollable and unintended way. These movements can be anything from quick, jerking tics to longer tremors and seizures.

You can experience these movements in almost any part of the body, including:

  • neck
  • face
  • limbs

Some points that may provide clues on the underlying condition include the following:

  • When and how did the movements start?
  • What body parts are being affected?
  • What seems to make the movements worse or better?
  • Does stress affect these movements?
  • How often are the movements taking place?
  • Are the movements getting worse over time?

There are several types of involuntary movements

Tics

Tics are sudden, repetitive movements. They’re classified as simple or complex, depending on whether they involve a smaller or larger number of muscle groups. Excessively shrugging the shoulders or flexing a finger is an example of a simple tic. Repetitively hopping and flapping one’s arms is an example of a complex tic.

People with chronic motor tic disorder may display the following symptoms:

  • facial grimacing
  • excessive blinking
  • twitching
  • jerking or shrugging
  • sudden, uncontrollable movements of the legs, arms, or body
  • sounds such as throat clearing, grunts, or groans.

In young people, tics most often occur with Tourette syndrome. In adults, tics may occur as a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. Adult-onset tics may also be due to trauma or use of certain drugs, such as methamphetamines.

Tremors

Tremors are rhythmic movements of a body part. They are due to sporadic muscle contractions. People may have tremors in response to factors such as low blood sugar, alcohol withdrawal, exhaustion and anxiety. However, tremors may also occur with more serious underlying conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Myoclonus

Myoclonus describes a symptom and not a diagnosis of a disease. It refers to the sudden, involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles. Myoclonic twitches or jerks usually are caused by sudden muscle contractions, called positive myoclonus, or by muscle relaxation, called negative myoclonus.

Myoclonic jerks may occur alone or in sequence, in a pattern or without a pattern. They may occur infrequently or many times each minute. Myoclonus sometimes occurs in response to an external event or when a person attempts to make a movement. They may occur naturally during sleep or when a person gets startled. More serious causes include epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) causes stiff, jerky movements that you can't control. They include orofacial dyskinesia or oro-bucco-lingual dyskinesia, where a person has uncontrolled movements in the face -- namely the lips, jaw, or tongue. For instance, the person may stick out the tongue without trying, blink the eyes fast, chew, smack or pucker the lips, puff out the cheeks, frown or grunt. TD is a neuro-psychiatric condition. It occurs with the use of antipsychotic medications. Doctors prescribe these drugs to treat psychiatric disorders.

Dystonia

Dystonia is a movement disorder in which a person's muscles contract uncontrollably. The contraction causes the affected body part to twist involuntarily, resulting in repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Dystonia can affect one muscle, a muscle group, or the entire body. It can be a side effect of medications.

A mixed group consisting of chorea, athetosis and hemiballismus.

Chorea is characterised by repetitive, brief, irregular, somewhat rapid involuntary movements that start in one part of the body and move abruptly, unpredictably, and often continue to another part. Chorea typically involves the face, mouth, trunk, and limbs.

Athetosis is a continuous stream of slow, flowing, writhing involuntary movements. It usually affects the hands and feet.

Hemiballismus is a type of chorea, usually involving violent, involuntary flinging of one arm and/or one leg. Movements are wider and more intense than chorea.

Chorea and athetosis are usually symptoms of another disorder, although chorea may develop on its own in older people or in pregnant women. Chorea and athetosis can occur together, usually causing writhing, dance-like movements. Hemiballismus affects a limb (the arm more often than the leg) on one side of the body, causing it to fling wildly. For chorea and athetosis, treating the cause may help, as may antipsychotic drugs.

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