When is clumsiness a cause for concern? (2024)

FAQs

When is clumsiness a cause for concern? ›

While occasional clumsiness is a common experience and often not a cause for concern, persistent or severe balance problems, especially when accompanied by other neurological symptoms, should be evaluated by a medical professional.

Most people have moments of clumsiness, and it's usually nothing to worry about. But sudden, ongoing issues with coordination, or ones seriously interfering with your health, could be a symptom of an underlying condition.

Ataxia is when you have a problem with coordination, causing you to move in an uncertain, awkward or even clumsy way. It's usually a sign of a problem with an area of your brain, ears or other parts of your nervous system.

It may indicate anxiety or a problem with the ability to move around, but it's not always an indication of a more serious issue. Clumsy is generally a physical act of ineptitude, of maladroitness, and indicates a propensity to drop things, to fall down or to otherwise be awkward in their movements.

Clumsiness in this chapter refers to benign, nonprogressive difficulties with fine and gross motor function that are not due to a progressive neurologic disease. Key manifestations of cerebellar function/dysfunction are presented in Table 6–1.

Clumsy coordination: Low B12 can also affect coordination, balance and fine motor skills if it causes damage to the nerve cells.

Summary: For many older adults, the aging process seems to go hand-in-hand with an annoying increase in clumsiness. New research suggests some of these reaching-and-grasping difficulties may be caused by changes in the mental frame of reference that older adults use to visualize nearby objects.

It's easy to brush off the early signs of myositis, a muscle weakening autoimmune disease. That trip or fall while walking could be attributed to clumsiness.

Common culprits include poor vision, strokes, brain or head injury, muscle damage and weakness, arthritis or joint problems, inactivity, infection or illness, drugs and alcohol and, of course, stress or fatigue. A sudden change in co-ordination may suggest a localised stroke. This is a medical emergency.

Common causes of these issues in adults include musculoskeletal injuries, arthritis, and visual or inner ear problems. In children, gait and balance problems typically stem from developmental issues that can result in flat feet and bowing of the legs. The treatment depends on the underlying cause.

What hormone causes clumsiness? ›

Clumsiness

If you feel more clumsy or awkward than usual during your period, it might be because your high estrogen levels affect your balance.

The symptoms of cervical myelopathy may be subtle at first, causing slight changes in the way your hands work: You may feel that your hands are clumsier, your handwriting is worse or it's harder to button your shirt. You may also find yourself dropping things.

clumsiness noun [U] (lack of thought)

behaviour that does not show any skill or thought: With her usual clumsiness, she had opened her mouth and upset everyone.

While occasional clumsiness is a common experience and often not a cause for concern, persistent or severe balance problems, especially when accompanied by other neurological symptoms, should be evaluated by a medical professional.

Visuospatial difficulties: The start of dementia can be heralded by increasing clumsiness. As people are robbed of their ability to judge widths and distances, falls and fractures become more common.

However, common symptoms of MS include changes in sensation or sensory symptoms such as tingling and numbness, and changes in muscle function or motor symptoms such as difficulty walking, stiffness or tremors. Some common symptoms are: Clumsiness or weakness. Difficulty walking or maintaining balance.

Patients affected by carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) often report finding themselves "dropping objects". This symptom is perceived as a severe and frustrating problem.

It's also a common myth that kids with dyspraxia are “just being clumsy.” But when kids with dyspraxia appear awkward or “out of sync” with their physical environment, it's because they have a brain-based issue that makes it hard to plan and coordinate physical movement.