Ataxia means "without coordination" and can affect functioning of the extremities, body, speech and eyes, according to the National Ataxia Foundation. Ataxia is a neuromuscular disorder affecting movement and balance, with symptoms including impaired muscle control, clumsiness, unsteady gait and slurred speech. Exercising with ataxia strengthens and stretches muscles to improve posture, coordination and locomotor skills. Exercise enhances muscle control and improves self-confidence and well-being in individuals while minimizing disability, pain and any deformity. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Improve Body Balance
Gait training plays an essential role in exercising with ataxia. Loss of balance and coordination, engaging in erratic foot placement, using a wide gait and flinging of arms and legs commonly occur in individuals with ataxia, according to Wendy Powers James, a Wilmington, N.C.-based physical therapist. Improve gait by doing balancing exercises with the use of a firm chair. Stand facing the back of a chair and place both hands onto the chair for support. Focus eyes on a steady object. Slowly lift your right foot and place your body weight onto the left foot. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Slowly return to the original position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat the exercise five times, alternating feet.
Can Be Water-Based
Exercising in water can be beneficial and less threatening to individuals with ataxia, according to Powers James. Water de-emphasizes balance and coordination deficits and prevents falling, a common occurrence among ataxic patients. Water exercises strengthen and stretch muscles simultaneously through natural buoyancy and resistance properties. Include water-walking maneuvers while exercising with ataxia. Get into chest-deep water with your feet firmly on the pool's floor. Wear aquatic shoes to prevent slipping and losing footing. Slowly start walking in a large circle at a comfortable pace. Use your regular walking gait. Walk an entire circle and relax for 30 seconds. Walk two more circles. Gradually increase repetitions as you become stronger.
Flex Hamstrings
Keeping hamstrings -- muscles that run along the back of your thigh and knee -- flexed plays a major role in lowering risks of muscle contractions in ataxic patients. Increase your hamstring flexibility by performing gentle stretches. Sit on an exercise table, mat or floor with your legs extended in front of you. Slowly lower your upper body forward until you feel a mild stretch along the backside of your knee. Do not try to touch your toes. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Slowly return to the original position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat the exercise 10 times. Alternatively, stretch one hamstring by straightening one leg.
Strengthen Hips
Strong hip muscles play an important role in maintaining posture, supporting and stabilizing your hip joint while improving functional use of legs. Strengthen your hip muscles by doing side lifts. Lie on your right side with both legs together. Bend your right elbow to form a crook to place your head, like a makeshift pillow. Slowly raise your left leg toward the ceiling. Keep your knee straight. Hold the position for 10 seconds. Slowly return to the original position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat the exercise 10 times. Rotate your body to lie on your left side. Do the exercise again lifting the left leg.
