Why involuntary movements

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Seunggu Han, M. Types Causes Diagnosis Treatment Overview An involuntary movement occurs when you move your body in an uncontrollable and unintended way. You can experience these movements in almost any part of the body, including: neck face limbs There are a number of types of uncontrollable movements and causes.

What are the types of uncontrollable movement? What causes uncontrollable movement? How is the cause of uncontrollable movement diagnosed? What are the treatment options for uncontrollable movement? Read this next. What Causes Leg Shaking Tremors? Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. Facial Tic Disorder. Medically reviewed by Nancy Hammond, M. Eyelid Twitch. Medically reviewed by Kevin Martinez, M. What Causes Numbness in Hands?

Medically reviewed by Heidi Moawad, M. What is the Vagus Nerve? The arms, legs, neck and tongue may also be affected. Causes include asphyxia, neonatal jaundice, Huntington's chorea, cerebrovascular disease and trauma.

Management can be difficult but treatment options include medications eg, diazepam, haloperidol, tetrabenazine , surgery and retraining techniques. Continuous jerky movements in which each movement is sudden and the resulting posture is held for a few seconds. This usually affects the head, face or limbs. The focus may move from one part of the body to another at random.

Chorea may be caused by adverse effects of drug treatments, especially medications for Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and schizophrenia. Other causes of chorea include:.

Chorea may occur with athetosis and is then called choreoathetosis. A dystonia is a sustained muscle contraction, frequently causing repetitive twisting movements or abnormal postures [ 1 , 2 ]. It is a dynamic condition that often changes in severity depending on the posture assumed and on voluntary activity of the area of the body involved.

The diagnosis is clinical and there are no specific tests available; therefore, expert opinion should be sought. Dystonias may be primary or secondary [ 3 ]. Treatments available for dystonia include oral medications, botulinum toxin and surgical procedures. Oral medications are generally used for generalised and segmental dystonia. Botulinum toxin is the mainstay of treatment for focal dystonia.

Surgical procedures are available for medication-refractory dystonia, markedly affecting quality of life [ 4 ]. Primary pure dystonia is inherited in a mainly autosomal dominant pattern [ 5 ]. It usually presents in children, with dystonic spasms of the legs on walking and occasionally of the arms, trunk or neck. It is normally progressive and spreading to the whole body, causing severe disability within about ten years.

A levodopa trial should be offered to patients with early-onset dystonia without an alternative diagnosis [ 6 ]. Blepharospasm and writer's cramp are both focal dystonias.

Blepharospasm involves recurrent spasms of eye closure. Writer's cramp is the inability to write or use any manual instrument, due to abnormal posture of the hand and arm [ 7 ]. Botulinum toxin injection is the first-line treatment for most types of focal dystonia. Tremor Fact Sheet. Updated March 26, Myoclonus fact sheet. Updated April 19, Tardive dyskinesia information page. Updated January 27, Tourette syndrome fact sheet.

Cleveland Clinic. Updated September 28, Chorea Information Page. Updated March 27, Motor Neuron Diseases Fact Sheet. Updated March 16, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Frequently Asked Questions. Hand Tremor Causes and Treatment. What Is the Definition of Sleep Myoclonus? What Is Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Related Articles. Early Signs of Tardive Dyskinesia. What Is Tardive Dystonia? Movement - uncontrollable. Examples of uncontrollable movements are: Loss of muscle tone flaccidity Slow, twisting, or continued movements chorea, athetosis, or dystonia Sudden jerking movements myoclonus, ballismus Uncontrollable repetitive movements asterixis or tremor.

Some of these movements affect children. Others affect only adults. Causes in children: Genetic disorder Kernicterus too much bilirubin in the central nervous system after birth Lack of oxygen hypoxia at birth Causes in adults: Nervous system diseases that are getting worse Genetic disorder Medicines Stroke or brain injury Tumors Illicit drugs Head and neck trauma. Ask the health care provider whether walking aids, such as a cane or walker, would be helpful. When to Contact a Medical Professional.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit. Medical history questions may include: Are there muscle contractions that may be causing the abnormal posture? Are the arms affected? Are the legs affected? When did this movement begin? Did it occur suddenly?