Symptoms To Alien Hand Syndrome Complications That Need To Be Known

Illustration of people experiencing alien hand syndrome. (Freepic/Freepic)

JAKARTA - alien hand syndrome or allien hand syndrome is a rare condition where other hands or limbs move on their own without your control.

Hands feel like they have their own thoughts and can do accidental movements, such as holding or releasing objects, raising their hands, or even slapping themselves. Sometimes the feet can also be hit.

Symptoms

Reporting from the Cleveland Clinic page, the main symptoms of alien hand syndrome include:

- Hands or feet move uncontrollably

- Holding objects and unable to release them

- Raising hands or floating in the air

- Raising or moving your finger accidentally

- Difficulty doing tasks with both hands

- Walk or step unconsciously (if the leg is hit)

Additional symptoms could be:

- Weakness in the arms or legs

- Difficulty speaking (afasia)

- Difficult to recognize objects that are touched or seen

- Difficult to read or write

Cause

alien hand syndrome occurs due to damage or injury to certain parts of the brain:

- Corpus callosum, which is a connector between the right and left brains

- Frontal lobes, namely the front of the brain behind the forehead

- The parietal lobe at the top of the brain

This damage can be caused by:

- Brain surgery such as tumor removal or internal brain stimulation

- Head injury or brain trauma

- Medical conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, or stroke

Complications

alien hand syndrome can have a serious impact on physical and mental health. Complications that are felt such as depression and anxiety, fear or paranoid, physical injuries caused by hands holding hot objects, sharp objects, or doing slapped movements.

Diagnosed

There is no specific test to diagnose alien hand syndrome. Doctors will interview patients regarding symptoms, observe hand movements and other body parts, examine brain surgery history or head injuries, or conduct brain imaging checks such as MRI, to seek damage or lesions.

Treatment

There is no cure yet, but some steps can help reduce symptoms.

- Drugs to control accidental movements, such as anti-convulsions drugs

- Injecting botulinum Laughs (Botoxmen), deactivating muscles to reduce movement

- Mirror box therapy makes the brain believe the movement is done consciously

- Distraction or diversion provides soft objects to be held by the affected hands

- Additional therapy in the form of physiotherapy, ocuption therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy

Prevention

There is no definite way to prevent alien hand syndrome because it usually arises due to brain condition, injury, or surgery. But some steps can help reduce symptoms:

- Give tasks to the affected hands (for example holding the ball)

- Put your hands in your pocket or use gloves

- Give verbal orders to hands

- Performs muscle relaxation techniques