All You Need to Know About Physical Therapy for Ataxia

Over 15 thousand people in the US are facing Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA). If you want to figure out whether you have this condition, watch out for symptoms like drifting steps and imbalance. Have you started avoiding some activities because you don’t trust your balance now? Those who are living with this condition can consider in-home ataxia physical therapy from trusted home healthcare agencies like Nurse Next Door McLean. It can gradually help your brain take more control of how you move. In this article, we’ll cover everything ranging from details about ataxia to cerebellar ataxia physical therapy gait training. 

What is Ataxia? How Does it Affect You?

Ataxia is a disorder that affects muscle control, coordination, and balance. It most commonly comes from the cerebellum – spinocerebellar ataxia is one of the most common types of it. 

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) may result in degenerated nerve cells in your brain stem, spinal cord, and cerebellum, with symptoms such as challenges in fine motor skills, unstable gait, and slurred speech. It is a genetic and progressive condition that typically leads to a lack of balance, coordination, and muscle control. 

Drunk walking is a form of ataxia too – it’s just a more temporary one which you understand and know the reason for. 

Cerebellum is the part of your brain that helps with smooth movement. Movements get uncoordinated when there’s something wrong with it. You might place your feet too wide apart when stepping or feel more wobbly. 

Even reaching something on a table or anywhere around you might get harder. Turning your head or body too quickly can also make you feel dizzy. 

What Physical Therapy for Ataxia Looks Like

First, find the right physical therapist through a home care provider like Nurse Next Door McLean. Discuss and build a plan for your ataxia physical therapy. It can’t be a cookie-cutter sheet – we’re talking about a personalized plan meant for your body.

This plan should help you step more easily, feel stronger when walking, and make everything you do feel more deliberate and controlled. Your posture should also improve with this and it should include some simple coordination drills. 

Results will take some time. You can’t expect an overnight change. But a large number of people feel changes with consistent therapy for ataxia. You will feel the control, you’ll stumble less often. You’ll have a better sense of where your body is, soon after starting. 

Cerebellar Ataxia Physical Therapy Gait Training 

Therapists use simple tricks like having you match your steps to a rhythm or a beat. You might be asked to use a treadmill with a safety harness that keeps you safe. That way, you don’t have to worry about falling. Remember that the goal here isn’t to make you walk “perfectly.” The goal is to help you walk better. 

And yes, most people with ataxia improve with physical therapy. Sometimes a little bit, sometimes a lot. Research indicates that it may be enough to make daily life feel easier to get through.

Other Exercises for Ataxia 

Getting up from a chair, turning around while walking forward, and stepping over small objects are some of the things you should be able to do with ease. That’s where physical therapy for ataxia can be useful. It focuses more on control – rather than force.

Physical therapists will ask you to touch different targets slowly and carefully. They’ll train you to move your arms or legs in certain patterns. You’ll figure out how to shift your weight from one foot to the other. Besides this, you’ll be trained to step in different directions at your own pace. All of this can strengthen your legs, hips, and core – your body starts to feel supported.

Some of the common physical therapy Ataxia exercises include: 

• Lying Bent Knee Rotations
• Kneeling Press Up
• Quadruped Weight Shifting
• Lateral Lunge
• Quadruped Opposite Arm and Leg Extensions
• Sit to Stand

Why Consistency Makes Such a Big Difference

So many people don’t understand that staying consistent matters more than pushing hard. You can’t skip sessions – you need to do it everyday. Nurse Next Door McLean’s licensed physical therapists can help you stay motivated and on the schedule. 

How Nurse Next Door McLean Can Help You at Home 

Do you feel like you could use some cerebellar ataxia physical therapy gait training at home? Nurse Next Door McLean delivers that to Ataxia patients living in Northern Virginia. We’re always available. Book a Free Caring Consult now – you don’t have to get through this alone. 

Whether you need in-home physical therapy, assistance for exercises, or support with activities of daily living (ADLs), Nurse Next Door McLean is here to walk with you through it. Call us today at (703) 774-9421.