Ataxia: Symptoms, Balance Problems and How Rehabilitation Helps
Walking across the lounge room, reaching for a coffee mug or stepping onto an escalator are movements most people perform without much thought. For someone living with ataxia, they can require far more concentration and control.
Because ataxia is not a single condition, it’s often misunderstood.
Understanding what ataxia is forms part of the picture, but understanding how rehabilitation can help is often the next question.
In This Article
Understanding Ataxia
What the term actually means
Ataxia is an umbrella term describing problems with coordination, balance and controlled movement.
It is not a condition on its own, but a symptom that can occur with neurological conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, acquired brain injury and cerebral palsy.
It can also occur in inherited conditions such as Friedreich’s ataxia and spinocerebellar ataxia, or when the cerebellum, which coordinates movement, is affected.
If you’re hearing the term for the first time, it’s pronounced “ay tak see uh”.
Common ataxia symptoms include:
- Unsteady walking or frequent stumbling
- Poor balance
- Difficulty coordinating arm or hand movements
- Changes in speech or eye movements
- Trouble with fine motor tasks such as writing or buttoning clothing
For more information about ataxia, visit Ataxia Foundation Australia.
Why Balance Changes
“tasks such as carrying groceries, walking through a busy shopping centre or getting out of a car may become more challenging”
One reason ataxia can be so challenging is that muscles may still be strong enough to move, but the brain has difficulty coordinating those movements accurately.
This can affect how someone walks, changes direction, steps over obstacles or reacts when they lose balance.
Everyday tasks such as carrying groceries, walking through a busy shopping centre or getting out of a car may become more challenging, even when strength has not changed significantly.
Rehabilitation Looks Beyond the Diagnosis
Helping people continue making progress
Medical care focuses on identifying the cause of ataxia. Neurological rehabilitation focuses on helping people move as safely and confidently as possible afterwards.
Depending on individual goals, rehabilitation may include:
- Exercise physiology to improve strength, endurance and physical capacity
- Neurological physiotherapy to retrain balance, gait and coordination
- Occupational therapy to support everyday activities and independence
Rather than simply prescribing exercise, rehabilitation is tailored to the movements people use every day and progresses as function improves.
Technology Often Supports Better Outcomes
Measuring movement with greater accuracy
Technology plays an important role in neurological rehabilitation because it provides objective information about movement that cannot always be seen during a standard assessment.
At Linz Allied Rehab, rehabilitation may incorporate wearable motion sensors, game based therapy and other specialised equipment to assess balance, walking patterns and progress over time. You can learn more about the clinic’s rehabilitation technology and equipment here.
Continuing Life With Ataxia
Recovery is about function, not just diagnosis
While there is no single treatment for every type of ataxia, rehabilitation can play an important role in helping people maintain mobility, reduce falls risk and stay engaged in everyday life.
For people living with neurological conditions, ongoing rehabilitation may also be supported through the NDIS when it aligns with individual functional goals.
If you’d like practical neurological rehabilitation tips delivered straight to your inbox, you can also sign up for the Linz Allied Rehab quarterly newsletter below.
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Linz Allied Rehab in Caringbah provides evidence-based neurological rehabilitation through exercise physiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, supporting people across the Sutherland Shire with personalised programs focused on balance, mobility and long term independence.
Extra Information:
If you’re interested, take a look at this short video which helps explain ataxia in just 1 minute.
