Many types of orthopedic or neuromuscular impairments, such as paralysis, amputation, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and arthritis, can impact your mobility. Mobility impairment may occur due to impairment in the lower body part, while some mobility issues may occur due to upper body impairment issues. Lower body impairment may require the use of aids such as walkers, canes or wheelchairs, while the upper body impairment may result in the limited use of hands and upper extremities. Mobility problems may vary from unsteadiness while walking, difficulty getting in and out of a chair, and falls. Common problems in old age, such as weakness of muscles, joint problems, and neurological issues may also affect mobility in the older adults.
Mobility impairment can either be temporary or permanent. Moreover, some movement disorders can result in reduced or slower movement, and can be either voluntary or involuntary. Movement disorders can manifest in numerous ways with symptoms ranging from subtle to disabling.
Common types of mobility disorders include:
Ataxia: The part of the brain that controls coordinated movement in an individual is affected. The mobility disorder may result in uncoordinated or clumsy balance, limb movement, and other symptoms such as speech problems.
Cervical dystonia: The mobility disorder causes long-lasting contractions or spasms, or intermittent contractions of the neck. This condition may result in the involuntary turning of the neck in different ways.
Tourette syndrome: This neurological condition is caused by the long-term use of certain drugs used to treat psychiatric conditions. The condition results in repetitive movements such as eye blinking and grimacing.
Multiple system atrophy: The condition may result in some types of movement disorders, such as parkinsonism. The mobility disorder may result in hypertension or high-blood pressure, and also affect the proper functioning of the bladder.
Huntington’s disease: The disorder causes uncontrolled movements or chorea in the affected individual, and may affect the person’s cognitive abilities and psychiatric conditions.
Tremor: The movement disorder results in involuntary rhythmic shaking of body parts, such as hands and head.
Restless legs syndrome: This movement disorder causes unpleasant abnormal feelings in legs while the person relaxes or lies down the legs, which is often relieved by movement.
Parkinson’s disease: This slowly progressive, neurodegenerative mobility disorder results in tremors, stiffness, imbalance, and slow decreased movements.
Dystonia: This neurological muscle disorder is characterized by involuntary muscle spasms. It is caused due to abnormal functioning of the deep brain part, known as basal ganglia.
Wilson’s disease: This rare inherited mobility disorder causes excessive amounts of copper to buildup in the body, causing neurological issues.
Falls due to mobility issues may not only result in broken bones and bruises but the person may also have difficulty in getting up from the fall. Any injury or fall may result in limited or reduced mobility, or even make a person bed-ridden. The condition can also worsen any existing medical condition, and even lead to the onset of new ones such as blood clots in the legs, issues with circulation, pressure ulcers, and further loss of strength.
Enabling you to lower your copay costs
Mobility treatments can be really expensive without health insurance. So, you should have health insurance that you can use to lower the costs of your medications. There are many health insurance plans available but you may not be aware of their unique features. You may want to compare the features of different healthcare insurance plans, and also get suggestions about the best ones. PrudentRx program offers you a rich source of various health insurance plans. PrudentRx CVS copay optimization program is a specialty copay plan that enables payors to reduce or eliminate member cost share for specialty medications. For more information, refer PrudentRx FAQs and PrudentRx drug list.