Apraxia
Description
Apraxia is a neurological disorder that is known as the inability to perform skilled (familiar) movements despite having the desire and physical ability to do these movements. This happens because the patient can’t remember the steps or do the sequence of movements needed to do the needed movement even if it’s a simple one. Different types of apraxia may be classified according to the affected part or movement, and they can occur alone or together. It affects more than 50% of stroke patients and about 90% of dementia patients.
Symptoms
Symptoms differ according to the type of apraxia and may include :
- Inability to make facial movements (ex: licking lips, whistling, coughing, winking)
- Inability to make precise movements with arms and legs
- Inability to do the right movement in response to verbal command
- Inability to do tasks with sequential steps (ex: Dressing, Eating, Bathing)
- Difficulty moving the eyes
- Difficulty moving the mouth while speaking
- Inability to draw, copy, or construct simple figures
Visit a Neurologist to be diagnosed and treated properly, If you or one of your family have any of these symptoms
Recommended Doctors
View MoreCauses
This condition is caused due to damage in specific parts of the brain, this damage may be caused by :
- Stroke
- Traumatic head injury
- Brain tumor
- Alzheimer
- Schizophrenia
- Dementia
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinsonism
Diagnostics
Diagnosis depends on symptoms, medical history, and physical examination to a great extent. The physician should assess the patient’s ability to speak and move. Other diagnostic tools can be used to examine the presence of brain damage and its cause such as :
- Magnetic resonance imaging (a procedure in which magnetic fields are used to produce an image of the brain).
- Positron emission tomography (a procedure that uses radioactive substances during producing an image of the brain).
Treatment
There’re no specific medications used to treat this condition, but the cause of this condition should be treated first. Other therapies are used such as :
- Speech therapy : Treatment of people with speech and communication problems by training, to help them to speak more clearly.
- Physical therapy : Treatment through specific exercises and machines to help people with movement disorders to move better.
- Occupational therapy : Treatment that helps patients to improve their motor skills and adapt to their illness by teaching them to do the tasks that are important to their daily lives through special exercises.
