Movement Disorders / Tourette's Syndrome |
Many patients presenting with an impingement of their Trigeminal Nerve , may also present with a TMJ Disorder and /or motions disorders one of which is Tourette's Syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by a multitude of tics that can be motor or vocal. Their onset is usually in early childhood from 5-8 years of age. There are three types of tics: simple, complex and internal. Each type is either a motor tic or vocal/phonic tic. Below is a list of common tics of Tourette's Syndrome: |
TYPE OF TIC |
SIMPLE | MOTOR Eye blinking Eye rolling Shoulder shrugs Head shrugs Brushing or tossing hair out of eyes Mouth opening Arm extending Facial grimaces Nose twitching Lip-licking Squinting
VOCAL & PHONIC Throat clearing Grunting Yelling or screaming Sniffing Barking Snorting Coughing Spitting Squawking Humming Whistling Honking Laughing
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| COMPLEX | MOTOR Pulling at clothes Touching people Touching objects Smelling fingers Smelling objects Jumping or skipping Poking or jabbing Punching Kicking Hopping Kissing self or others Flapping arms Twirling around Tensing muscle groups Thrusting movements of groin or torso Twirling hair Walking on toes Copropraxia: - Sexually touching self - Sexually touching others - Obscene gestures Echo Phenomena: - Others’ actions - One’s own actions Self-injury behaviors
VOCAL & PHONIC Making animal-like sounds Unusual changes in pitch or volume of voice Stuttering Echo Phenomena: - Own words or sounds - Others’ words or sounds Copropalia: - Obscenities - Socially taboo phrases |
| INTERNAL | MOTOR Breathing tics Bladder tics Bowel tics
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*Note: this list is not all-inclusive. Furthermore, any behavior or symptom may have alternative explanations in a child who has TS and other diagnoses such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Differentially diagnosing any one symptom cannot be made without further study or information. Teachers or school personnel should contact the child’s parents and treating professionals for assistance and guidance. Leslie Packer PhD.
Dr. Brendan Stack and Dr. Tony Sims wrote a case study report in 2009 showing that an Oral appliance treating TMJ Disorders can affect, even discontinue, the symptoms thereby eliminating the need for surgery or medication. To read their study click here. Please call our office if you need any guidance in your choice of care and how we may best help you. |