Dyskinesia is defined as strange, irregular, intense, spasmodic movements which the patient cannot control. It can be an unrelated condition, but mostly, it is because of brain injury or a side effect of the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It can either happen in one specific part of the body or all over the body. Initially, it is too mild to be noticed, but if not treated on time, it can disrupt the daily life of a person.

Types
Depending on the impact on the brain’s cells and nerves, dyskinesia is categorized into different types.

Parkinson’s induced dyskinesia
More than half of the patients being treated with levodopa for Parkinson’s disease develop dyskinesia in less than five years. The symptoms are not too disturbing and often don’t need any treatment. Common symptoms of this form of dyskinesia are:

• Twisting
• Head nodding
• Fiddling
• Shaking

Tremors
Patients suffer from a typical pattern of movement. These tremors can happen due to different reasons. When these tremors occur with relaxed limbs, it is commonly related to Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. When it happens in the upper body parts like the hands, it is due to tumors or other cerebellar deterioration situations. When tremors start in limbs while the patient is resting and continue even after movement, it is mostly due to nerve disorders, or other psychological reasons, or excessive consumption of alcohol.

Dystonia
This type of dyskinesia causes repetitive and unusual movements like winking, strange hand or arm position, and blepharospasms.

Chorea
It is another side effect of certain medicines and can affect either a part of the body or the entire body. These jerky movements often last for a few seconds.

Tardive
Medicines used to treat certain psychological conditions can cause stiffness and jerky movements of the limbs. The symptoms of this form of dyskinesia are:

• Continuous blinking
• Arms or hands movements
• Arbitrary lip, tongue, or jaw movements
• The abnormal swaying of different body parts
• Breathing problem in severe cases

Myoclonus
It is a severe form of dyskinesia that causes rigorous and repetitive muscle tremors. It is essential to seek treatment right away. It can develop from childhood or can occur at any stage of life due to the deficiency of oxygen in the brain.

Ballism
This type of dyskinesia is mostly caused due to brain damage, oxygen deficiency, or stroke and leads to wild movements of the legs or arms. It can be so severe that it may cause damage to the affected body part.

Athetosis
The reason behind the occurrence of this condition is brain damage caused by lack of blood or oxygen supply, and its symptoms are noticeable in the fingers, toes, arms, legs, and hands. It causes:

• Mild spinning
• Twisting
• Uncomfortable movements

Stereotypies and tics
This type of dyskinesia causes movements that can be controlled by the patient. But it can also get pretty severe and cause rigorous twitches. The primary reason for the occurrence of this condition is the use of certain medications.