P10 - Co-ordination 1 (ataxia) Flashcards
What is motor coordination?
Motor coordination, or dexterity, refers to the ability to perform a motor task in an accurate, rapid, and controlled manner.
What is proprioception?
Proprioception is the awareness of body position in space, using joint position sense and motion sense to respond to stress and movement.
What is balance?
Balance is the ability to maintain an upright posture and transition between postures while resisting the forces exerted by gravity.
How is upper extremity motor coordination assessed?
The upper extremity can be assessed using the finger-to-nose test.
What test assesses lower extremity motor coordination?
The heel-to-shin test and the Lower Extremity Motor Coordination Test (LEMOCOT)
How can functional coordination be assessed?
Functional tasks like throwing and catching, reaching for objects, and picking things up from the floor are used to assess coordination.
How does Romberg’s test assess coordination?
Romberg’s test evaluates position sense by testing a person’s ability to balance with feet together and eyes closed.
How is kinesthesia assessed?
Kinesthesia is assessed by moving a joint passively at 0.5° to 2° per second until the patient signals limb movement.
What is joint position sense?
Joint position sense assesses the static position of joints, such as the thumb, great toe, or whole arm, to determine proprioception.
How does Romberg’s test assess proprioception?
In Romberg’s test, a patient stands with feet together, first with eyes open and then with eyes closed, to assess reliance on visual and sensory feedback for balance.
What is the Berg Balance Scale used for?
The Berg Balance Scale assesses a person’s ability to balance during various tasks
What is the BEST test?
The BEST test evaluates balance across multiple systems, including stability, postural control, and dynamic balance.
How is the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB) used?
The mCTSIB assesses how well a person can maintain balance under different sensory conditions, like standing with eyes closed or on unstable surfaces.
What is the Timed Up and Go (TUAG) test?
The TUAG test measures the time it takes for a person to stand up, walk a short distance, turn, and sit back down to assess functional mobility and balance.
What does the 360-degree turn test assess?
The 360-degree turn test assesses dynamic balance by evaluating a person’s ability to complete a full circle while maintaining stability.
What does the Functional Reach Test evaluate?
The Functional Reach Test measures how far a person can reach forward while maintaining their balance, indicating limits of stability.
What is the HiMAT?
The High-Level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) assesses high-level balance and mobility tasks, often used in individuals with traumatic brain injury.
What causes sensory ataxia?
Sensory ataxia is caused by impaired somatosensory nerves, disrupting sensory feedback and leading to poor body coordination.
What are common symptoms of sensory ataxia?
Symptoms include a wide-based, high-stepping gait, uncoordinated multi-joint movements, delayed postural adjustments, and reduced equilibrium reactions.
What is vestibular ataxia?
Vestibular ataxia results from damage to the inner ear or brainstem/cerebellum, affecting balance and spatial orientation.
What are key symptoms of vestibular ataxia?
Symptoms include staggering, broad-based gait, head tilt, vertigo, nausea, and blurred vision.
What is cerebellar ataxia?
Cerebellar ataxia is caused by damage to the cerebellum, resulting in a lack of smooth, coordinated movements due to issues with motor learning and movement timing.
What are symptoms of cerebellar ataxia?
Symptoms include dysmetria, decomposition of movement, poor posture, gait incoordination, limb tremors, dysdiadokinesia, and nystagmus.
What symptoms occur with damage to the vermis of the cerebellum?
Damage to the vermis can cause gait difficulties, low trunk tone, body sway, trunk tremor, and titubation.
What happens with damage to the cerebellar hemispheres?
Damage leads to poor limb coordination, tremors, dysdiadokinesia, nystagmus, dysarthria, and reduced motor learning.
What is the SARA ataxia scale?
The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) evaluates the severity of ataxia symptoms, including gait, speech, and coordination.
What does the Romberg’s test assess in cerebellar impairment?
Romberg’s test checks balance and position sense, important for diagnosing cerebellar ataxia.
What is the PINARDS mnemonic for cerebellar symptoms?
PINARDS stands for Past pointing, Intention tremor, Nystagmus, Ataxia, Rebound reflexes, Dysdiadokinesia, and Slurred speech, used to remember key cerebellar ataxia signs.
What does the DANISH mnemonic represent in cerebellar assessments?
DANISH stands for Dysdiadokokinesia, Ataxia, Nystagmus, Intention tremor, Slurred speech, and Heel-shin positive test, summarizing major cerebellar dysfunctions.
What is sensory ataxia?
Sensory ataxia is caused by the impairment of somatosensory nerves, leading to a disruption in sensory feedback, which results in body incoordination.
What are common symptoms of sensory ataxia?
- Wide-based, high-stepping gait
- Uncoordinated multi-joint movements
- Incorrect speed and distance of movement
- Delayed postural adjustments
- Reduced equilibrium reactions (ER)
- Intact righting reactions (RR)
What causes vestibular ataxia?
Vestibular ataxia is caused by central (brainstem/cerebellum lesions) or peripheral (inner ear) disruptions affecting balance.
What are symptoms of vestibular ataxia?
- Staggering, broad-based gait
- Fixed head and trunk posture
- Head tilt (often away from the lesion)
- Leaning backward
- Vertigo, nausea, blurred vision, and nystagmus
What causes cerebellar ataxia?
Cerebellar ataxia is caused by damage to the cerebellum, leading to poor coordination, movement timing issues, and inaccuracy in voluntary movements.
What are the primary symptoms of cerebellar ataxia?
- Dysmetria (errors in the distance of movement)
- Decomposition of movement (breaking movements into parts)
- Inability to maintain intended postures
- Errors in velocity, direction, and force of movements
What are specific symptoms of cerebellar ataxia from damage to the vermis?
Damage to the vermis leads to:
- Gait and equilibrium difficulties
- Low trunk tone
- Body sway and trunk tremor
- Titubation (rhythmic head movement)
What are symptoms of cerebellar hemisphere damage?
- Poor limb coordination
- Limb tremor
- Dysdiadokinesia (inability to perform rapid alternating movements)
- Nystagmus
- Dysarthria (slurred speech)
- Reduced motor learning
How is cerebellar impairment assessed?
The SARA ataxia scale
Romberg’s test and sharpened Romberg’s test
What does the PINARDS mnemonic stand for in cerebellar ataxia?
- Past pointing
- Intention tremor
- Nystagmus
- Ataxia
- Rebound reflexes
- Dysdiadokinesia
- Slurred speech
What is dysdiadokokinesia?
Dysdiadokokinesia is the inability to perform rapid alternating muscle movements, often assessed by flipping one hand rapidly in the palm of the other.
What is past pointing?
Past pointing occurs when a patient overshoots while trying to touch a specific point, a sign of cerebellar dysfunction.
What is an intention tremor?
An intention tremor is a wide tremor that occurs during voluntary movements, such as holding out the hands or reaching for an object.
What is nystagmus?
Nystagmus is an involuntary, repetitive oscillation of the eyes, often associated with cerebellar or vestibular dysfunction.
How does rebound reflex indicate cerebellar dysfunction?
In cerebellar dysfunction, pushing down on an outstretched arm may cause it to rebound past its original position, due to poor control over muscle adjustments.
