3. Incoordination of Limbs: The Jumbled Jigsaw of FRDA
Incoordination, or lack of precise control of bodily movements, is a significant symptom of Friedreich’s ataxia. It affects both the arms and legs, thereby impacting a range of activities from writing to running.
At its core, incoordination in FRDA is an echo of the same underlying problem causing gait disturbance and dysarthria: damaged nerve cells. As FRDA wages its relentless war on the nervous system, the transmission of nerve signals becomes increasingly compromised. This impacts the precise coordination required between various muscle groups, giving rise to symptoms like incoordination.
What we see on the surface as clumsiness or awkwardness is, in reality, a manifestation of a deeply complex problem. The uncoordinated movements are a result of the peripheral nerves failing to effectively relay signals from the brain to the muscles. This disrupts the normal sequence and timing of muscle contractions, leading to an uncoordinated, clumsy performance of movements that were once second nature. (3)
