Uncontrollable, Repetitive Muscular Involuntary Movements in Children
Revamped Article:
Hey there! Here's the lowdown on motor tics and muscle spasms, which are usually quick, repetitive muscle movements that can make your kiddo's face, eyes, mouth, neck, or head twitch and jump. These can be embarrassing, but rest assured they're relatively common, affecting about 10% of kids during their early school years.
What are Motor Tics and Muscle Spasms?
Motor tics are unintentional muscle movements caused by quick, spasm-like contractions. While it might look like your child is deliberately making these movements, they're not – but if they try to suppress the tics for a moment, you'll likely notice they soon come back and the urge to perform them becomes stronger.
How Do I Know if My Child Has Motor Tics or Muscle Spasms?
Motor tics can be simple or complex. In simple cases, only one muscle or body part is involved and no harm is caused. In complex cases, multiple muscle groups are impacted and the movements may look a bit more intentional, such as pouting the face, repeatedly touching things, or revolving hand movements. Plus, there are both motor and vocal tics to be aware of. Simple vocal tics include noisy breathing, hissing, barking, snorting, smelling, and throat-clearing, while complex tics involve words, phrases, or sentences.
Could My Child Have Tics and ADHD Together?
ADHD doesn't directly cause motor tics, but kids with ADHD might also have these tics. Research suggests that about 50-70% of children with ADHD could have motor tics, sometimes along with Tourette syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or autism spectrum conditions that involve body, face, or voice tics.
What Can I Do About Motor Tics?
Taking care of your child's sleep, keeping stress and anxiety at bay through meditation, yoga, and regular physical activity, and educating your child's teachers, caretakers, and peers about their condition can help manage motor tics.
What Foods Can Help Manage Motor Tics in Children?
Improving nutrition can be beneficial:
- Brahmi: An ancient brain superfood thought to sharpen the brain by protecting cells and boosting learning and memory.
- Ashwagandha: Reduces anxiety and stress while increasing acetylcholine levels, which aid memory and mental focus.
- Shankhapushpi: An old remedy rich in antioxidants, which enhances memory, focus, concentration, and calms the mind.
- Nuts: Rich in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, which help boost memory and protect the brain from damage.
- Seeds: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants that protect the brain from free radical damage.
Foods to Avoid
Refined sugar, preservatives, and refined oils can exacerbate tics and impair cognitive skills, immune function, growth, and development.
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- The science of health-and-wellness indicates that improving nutrition can be beneficial in managing motor tics in children, with foods like Brahmi, Ashwagandha, Shankhapushpi, nuts, and seeds being rich in antioxidants and substances that help boost memory and protect the brain.
- On the other hand, nutrition plays a crucial role in brain development, and refined sugar, preservatives, and refined oils should be avoided as they can exacerbate tics and impair cognitive skills, immune function, growth, and development.
- Mental health, a vital aspect of overall health-and-wellness, can be supported through measures like meditation, yoga, and regular physical activity, which help manage anxiety and stress, contributing to the effective management of motor tics.
