Mobility and Balance Deterioration

The onset of mobility and balance difficulties occurs in the early stages of Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD) progression. This mobility and balance difficulty manifests mostly as ataxia and a loss of coordination. Ataxia is a general term referring to the lack of muscle control or coordination, problems with fine motor control and posture. Together with visual disturbances (and consequently more pronounced ataxia in poor light), these are early clinical indicators that people may have MJD (in the absence of genetic testing). This medical protocol outlines these symptoms and their prevalence, assessment and treatment.