Is Ataxia a Symptom of Parkinson’s?

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Struggling with balance, coordination, or shaking hands can be concerning, especially if these symptoms interfere with daily life. Ataxia, or impaired coordination, can make simple tasks like walking or reaching for an object feel unpredictable or challenging. But is ataxia a symptom of Parkinson’s disease, or does it stem from other neurological conditions? Understanding the link between ataxia and Parkinson’s can provide clarity, especially for those navigating these symptoms. 

What Are the Symptoms of Uncoordinated Movement or Ataxia?

Ataxia affects voluntary muscle control, making it difficult to move in a coordinated and smooth way. People with ataxia lose control of their muscles in their arms and legs. This affects movements of fingers, hands, arms, legs, body, and eyes. Symptoms can vary depending on the underlying causes but often includes:

• Impaired balance and coordination: This is typically the first noticeable symptom. The act of making ourselves bigger is an indication of impaired balance.Walking may feel unsteady, and you may have trouble standing still without swaying or stumbling. You may also find yourself widening your stance or bringing your arms out to help balance yourself when you move. Walking can also appear uneven or jerky, with feet dragging or legs moving in an uncoordinated way.
• Tremors: Uncontrolled shaking, particularly in the hands, can make precision tasks like writing or drinking from a cup challenging. 
• Slurred speech: Speech may become slower, softer, or harder to understand as the muscles involved in talking lose coordination. 
• Shifty eye movements: Experiencing fast back and forth eye movements, difficulty focusing or rapid, involuntary movements. 

For people with Parkinson’s disease, some of these symptoms like tremors and impaired balance, overlap with classic motor symptoms of the condition. However, ataxia isn’t a common feature of Parkinson’s but can occur in later stages or when other conditions are present alongside Parkinson’s disease. 

What Causes Uncoordinated Movement or Ataxia?

Ataxia can arise from several underlying causes, some of which are closely tied to Parkinson’s disease. Here are the most common causes:

• Parkinson’s Disease: While ataxia isn’t a primary symptom of Parkinson’s, the condition can lead to balance and coordination issues over time. This occurs as the disease affects dopamine production in the brain, impairing motor function. In advanced stages, complications like freezing of gait or postural instability, may resemble ataxia. 
• Cerebellar Ataxia: Cerebellar ataxia is the loss of muscle coordination due to disease or injury to the cerebellum in the brain. Damage to the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for coordination, can cause significant ataxia. This damage may result from strokes, trauma, multiple sclerosis, or degenerative disorders. 
• Multiple System Atrophy (MSA): Multiple system atrophy is a degenerative neurological disorder associated with the degeneration of nerve cells in specific areas of the brain. This cell degeneration causes problems with movement, balance, and autonomic functions of the body such as bladder control. MSA shares symptoms with Parkinson’s but often includes severe ataxia as a distinguishing feature. 
• Other neurological conditions: Conditions like Huntington’s disease, traumatic brain injuries, and certain types of neuropathy can also cause ataxia.
• Nutritional Deficiencies or Toxins: Chronic alcohol use or deficiencies in vitamin B12 or vitamin E can damage the nervous system and lead to ataxia.

Understanding the root cause of uncoordinated movement is critical for determining the right treatment approach, especially if Parkinson’s disease is suspected. When you are discussing symptoms with your doctor, be sure to be as descriptive as possible. 

Diagnosis and Treatment

Some conditions may cause ataxia to start suddenly like a head injury, stroke, brain hemorrhage, or temporary loss of oxygen supply to the brain. While conditions like alcohol abuse, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis,and low levels of vitamins can cause ataxia symptoms to appear slowly. Diagnosing the cause of ataxia and impaired coordination often requires a combination of tests and clinical evaluations. If Parkinson’s disease or a related condition is suspected, your healthcare provider may ask you more about your health history and family health history. 

Your doctor will perform a physical exam and neurological exam where they will assess muscle strength, reflexes, coordination, and gait to pinpoint affected areas of the nervous system. They will also order imaging tests which could reveal damage to the cerebellum or other parts of the brain that may be causing ataxia. To rule out nutritional deficiencies, toxins, or markers of other conditions that might explain your symptoms your doctor will conduct blood tests. Lastly, there are genetic tests that can see if a person has a certain gene mutation known to increase the risk of some inherited conditions. 

Treatment Options

Treatment for ataxia depends on the underlying cause. Ataxia may be temporary if it is caused by alcohol abuse, nutritional deficiencies, medicine side effects, or drug usage. By addressing these issues ataxia will go away. 

Ataxia can be permanent due to a stroke or another brain or nerve injury. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, therapies focus on managing symptoms and improving quality of life because it may get progressively worse. Having a comprehensive care plan that includes medications, therapy, and support from health care teams can make a significant difference in managing symptoms over time. 

Certain medications like levodopa can help address motor symptoms in parkinson’s but it may not fully resolve balance or coordination issues. For ataxia unrelated to parkinson’s, other medications like muscle relaxants or drugs targeting specific symptoms may be prescribed by your doctor. 

To improve balance and strength is mostly done with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, along with assistive devices. Physical therapy exercises assist with balance, strength, and coordination. Working with an occupational therapist can help you adapt daily activities and maintain independence despite challenges with fine motor skills. Assistive devices such as a cane, crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair can help reduce the risk of falls and provide stability. 

Where To Find Help

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Symptoms of ataxia can affect a person’s independence which can result in feelings of anxiety and depression. Talking to a mental health professional may help. Whether you have recently started to experience ataxia and are worried it may be a symptom of Parkinson’s disease or you have a confirmed diagnosis from your doctor, having a support network makes a difference in your mental health. Join PatientsLikeMe to connect with others who share similar experiences and gain access to valuable insights and support tailored to your health needs. If you’re managing ataxia due to Parkinson’s disease, how do you cope? Let us and others know in the discussions!