Abasia is a range of conditions that cause mobility difficulties, including uncontrolled movements, loss of balance, and weak muscles. There are four main types: paralytic, spastic, choreic, and trembling, each with different causes. Treatment options include medication and physical and occupational therapy.
When muscle function deteriorates, an individual’s walking ability is often impaired. This consequence can result in abasia, a range of conditions all of which are characterized by mobility difficulties. There are four main types of the condition: paralytic, spastic, choreic, and trembling. Each type affects the legs and the disorders are differentiated by their respective causes.
Abasia can create a wide range of mobility impairments. Uncontrolled movements can disturb a person’s coordination, creating chaotic swaying. Some individuals also lose their balance and may fall without assistance. A slow, wobbly gait can result from muscles that are weak and difficult to move. In severe cases, the overall ability to walk or even stand may be very limited or non-existent.
Leg muscles that have become paralyzed are the basis of paralytic abasia. A damaged or severed spinal cord often produces this symptom. Severe cases can also cause a lack of feeling in the legs. Individuals with this type of muscle impairment are often unable to walk at all.
In contrast, spastic abasia – or paroxysmal trepidation – is not caused by paralysis but rather by stiffening of the leg muscle. Brain disorders, such as cerebral palsy, cause the muscles in your legs to weaken. This hampers leg movements as well as their natural reflex processes, thus making the muscles stiff and tense. Rigidity typically occurs after an individual tries to stand. The inability to stand upright coupled with difficulty walking is sometimes collectively referred to as astasia-abasia.
Chorea abasia, on the other hand, occurs when the legs undergo a process known as chorea. Uncontrolled limb movements are the primary symptom of chorea, and the condition can impact various muscle systems in the body. Limbs are a common target, and if only one limb is affected, the disease is called a hemicorrhea. Genetic or brain neurological disorders are a frequent source of side effects of chorea. When the legs are affected, walking can be punctuated by strange movements, postures and uncontrollable twitching due to involuntary muscle contractions.
Simple shaking can even lead to impaired walking. Such is the cause of trembling abasia. Muscular and subsequent shaking of the limbs that cannot be controlled characterizes this particular type. Like most other classifications, the cause is often a neurological dysfunction.
While a complete cure is unlikely, there are several treatment options for an individual with abasia. Medications may prove helpful in some cases. Most treatment protocols, however, rely on a combination of physical and occupational therapy to improve the patient’s daily motor skills and counseling to address the psychological and emotional stresses the individual is likely to face.
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