What's involuntary movement?
To define the involuntary movement, we should define the voluntary movement. It is, however, difficult to define the voluntariness. The involuntary movement usually indicates some abnormal movement occurring without any movement intention of the subject which excludes any reflex movements, such as tendon reflexes or normal startle response.
How to see patients with involuntary movements
Classification of involuntary movements entirely depends on clinical features of movements. The method to see the patients, therefore, follows how to describe the movements when explaining those to others. The three main points to care are as follows. Regularity in time or rhythmicity of the movement: regular, mostly regular, irregular or completely irregular. The most rhythmic one is tremor and most irregular one is myoclonus. Conditions inducing involuntary movement: resting, postural, during movement, emotional stress, sensory trick or others. These are important factor to see actual movements in clinical practice. To make an inducing condition in the clinic is sometimes required to see the symptoms. Pattern of involuntary movements: irregular, stereotypical, distribution of moving muscles, right-left difference and others.
Several kinds of involuntary movements are presented in my talk.
