Movement - uncontrollable

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Central nervous system

Uncontrollable movements include many types of movements you cannot control. They can affect the arms, legs, face, neck, or other parts of the body.

Examples of uncontrollable movements are:

• Loss of tone (asterixis)
• Slow, twisting, or continued movements (chorea, athetosis, or dystonia)
• Sudden jerking movements (myoclonus, hallismus)
• Uncontrollable repetitive movements that cause tremor

See also: Tardive dyskinesia

Uncontrolled movements; Involuntary body movements; Body movements - uncontrollable; Dyskinesia; Athetosis; Myoclonus; Ballismus

There are many causes of uncontrolled movements. Some movements last only a short time. Others are due to a permanent condition of the brain and spinal cord and may get worse.

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Some of these movements affect children. Others affect only adults.

Causes in children:

• Genetic disorder
• Lack of oxygen (hypoxia) at birth
• Kernicterus (too much bilirubin in the central nervous system)

Causes in adults:

• Drugs
• Genetic disorder
• Stroke or brain injury
• Tumors
• Worsening (degenerative) disease

Review Date: 02/05/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).