5 Conditions That Can Cause Involuntary Body Movements

September 7, 2020 by Ruthie Hawkins, BlackDoctor.org Contributor

Involuntary movements, better known as uncontrollable and unintended jerking, tics, or muscle twitches may occur for many reasons. These include nerve damage (which may cause muscle spasms), drug use, tumors, brain injury, stroke, or long-term use of neuroleptic medications. The movements may be minor and infrequent, or dramatic and ongoing. Either way, these uncontrollable movements may be causing you personal anxiety and embarrassment, especially if you don’t know the cause.

Below are five conditions where uncontrollable body movements are characteristic.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is often the result of a brain injury or malformation. In most cases, patients with the condition are born with it. However, it can happen later in life, which is known as acquired cerebral palsy, due to brain infections or trauma to the head from a motor vehicle accident, a fall or child abuse.

Also called “CP,” the illness can impact:

Muscle control
Coordination
Muscle tone
Reflexes
Posture and balance
Fine and gross motor skills

Tardive Dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia, or TD, is a neurological syndrome caused by the long-term use of neuroleptic drugs. These medications are typically prescribed by doctors to treat psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety or schizophrenia.

Symptoms include repetitive facial movements such as:

Grimacing
Rapid blinking of the eyes
Protruding tongue
Smacking of the lips
Puckering of the lips
Pursing of the lips

According to the site TalkingAboutTD.com, the following may also be risk factors in addition to taking antipsychotic medications.

Having a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder
Having a parent or sibling with a mood disorder, in people who have schizophrenia
Having other movements caused by certain medications
A history of alcohol or drug abuse
Being 50 years of age or older or, for women, being postmenopausal

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reports that symptoms may continue long after the medication has been stopped and may continue indefinitely.

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