Myoclonic Seizure- A Sudden Muscle Contraction.

Hello friends, hope you are having a great time as we gradually approach the festive season?In the spirit of consistent learning, I will like to explore the topic ''Myoclonic Seizure''.

Myoclonic seizure occurs when the muscle suddenly contracts, creating fast twitching movements, affecting one side of the body, most often the neck, shoulders as well as upper arms, the entire body could also get affected. The entire length of the seizure could be really short that is is mistaken for; tics, nervousness and clumsiness. Myoclonic seizure is a certain type of myoclonus that happens as a result of an underlying epileptic condition of the brain. Epilepsy is a disease where abnormal electrical signals in the brain creates impairment in your ability to function normally.

The fact that we mentioned that myoclonic seizure happens as a result of an underlying condition does not means that is the only reason why it can happen, certain cases of myoclonus can happen in cases that are not linked with any form of illness. There are two categories of myoclonus, these are completely normal and are different from myoclonic seizure;

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Hypnic Jerks: This happens when there is a sudden muscle twitch or spasm just before you fall asleep.
Hiccups/hiccoughs: These form of myoclonus affects the diaphragm, the muscle that controls how much your air lungs can hold.

There are three types of myoclonic seizures;

Infantile Spasms: This type of myoclonic epilepsy begins between the ages of 3-12 months and may persist for a long years, it is usually a case of sudden jerk followed with stiffening. During the episodes of the seizures, the child's arm would fling in an outward manner as the knees pull up and the body bends forward, each of this seizure lasts for only about 1 or 2 seconds, multiple episodes can happen at close intervals leading to a cluster.
Infantile spasms are more common after the child wakes up and rarely occurs during sleep, this case requires urgent attention when it happens to a child, the treatment should not be delayed at all.
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: This rare form of epilepsy affects mostly young children, it comes along with myoclonic seizures of the upper arms, face, shoulders, neck and other types of seizures.
Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy: This is another rare seizure disorder, which is a combination of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures, while treatments may provide a little relief, the patients condition may worsen over time.

The difference between myoclonic seizure and epilepsy.

There is a close relationship between seizures and epilepsy but they are not the same. Under an appropriate condition, almost everyone can have seizures, but some people have underlying conditions that makes it possible for seizures to happen more easily and even more frequently.
When your health care provider suspects an abnormal brain signal that lead to seizure, this type of seizure could be linked to epilepsy. In order to clearly determine if a seizure is related to epilepsy, tests like EGG would be conducted to ascertain the condition.

Provoked seizures happen due to a specific health condition like; high or low blood sugar, fever, misuse/abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Unprovoked seizures on the other hand, happens as a result of the changes made in the brain or medical conditions that makes it really easy for the seizure to start in the first place.

In order for a seizure case to be tagged epileptic, there has to be a case of at least two unprovoked seizures.

Myoclonic seizures are more common in people with a generalized or genetic epilepsy, those who have focal epilepsy may also experience myoclinic seizures but with focal epilepsy, the muscle jerks and it affects just one side of the body.
The symptoms of myoclonic seizures are;

Rhythmic movements.
Unusual clumsiness.
Sensational feeling of an electric shock.
Quick jerks most often immediately after waking up.

The possible causes of myoclinic seizures are;

Brain tumor.
Stroke.
Injury to the head.
Genetic mutations.
Absence of oxygen to the brain.
Unusual brain development.
Brain infection.
However, in so many cases, the major cause of myoclonic seizures to unknown, those who stand a greater risk of myoclonic seizures include;
Those who have stroke.
Younger age.
Those who get engaged in activities that cause brain injury.
People who have a family history of epilepsy.
People who have a family history of seizure.
Those born with brain abnormalities.

The moment you get diagnosed with epilepsy, ensure to consistently visit your doctor, this will help them monitor your progress and make the adjustment to treatments very possible, if you also experience any of these things, make sure to seek instant medical help;

Unusual clumsiness.
Muscle jerking or twitching.
First time seizure.
Experienced injury during seizure.
Long term seizure.

At the end of a myoclonic seizure, the affected person could go around with his normal duties, no first aid is needed to get them out of the state they are, they can easily get up and return to their usual activities.

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Treatment options for Myoclonic Seizures.

The treatment for myoclonic seizure is very similar to the treatment options for other seizures. Reaction to treatment will be highly dependent on age, the frequency of the seizures, how severe the seizure is, and how strong your immune system is. The treatment options include;

Lifestyle changes: Some simple changes in lifestyle could help prevent seizure triggers;
Get sufficient rest, avoid excessive stress, limit the intake of alcohol and eat meals at regular intervals.

Anti-epilepsy drugs: These anti-epilepsy drugs are taken to prevent seizures, some of these drugs may come with it's own side effects, in some cases, you may even need to try out different drugs in other to determine the best option that befits your immune system.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy treatment(JME): JME treatment involves the use of anti-epilepsy medications, typically valporic acids which happens to be the most effective option, it has the ability to treat every type of seizure associated with JME.

Surgery: At the point when drugs fails, surgery may be the next option, but this is a very rare and delicate circumstance that would involve the removal of the brain section where the seizure is affecting. This procedure is often recommended basically when the part of the brain that is affected by the seizure could be removed without any form of risk.

In order to determine the presence of myoclonic seizures, a doctor will have to take these evaluations and tests;

Questions about your medical history will be asked, especially the time when the seizure started.
Family history questions will also be asked since it could be genetic.
Imaging tests like CT scan or MRI could be used to create brain images that would show tumors or structural issues that would help your doctor diagnose the symptoms.
Blood tests could be done to rule out other possible conditions.

Conclusion.

Myoclonic seizures are jerks often associated with activities of seizure in the brain, it can be managed and treated. After a successful treatment, the recovery stage varies from one person to another, you need to see a doctor the moment you start having seizures or you have a loved one who has seizures.