Twitch or Tic???

Have you ever been sitting in class and all of a sudden your eye lid starts twitching? Well guess what? You could have a tic! Our book gives the example of our eyelids twitching as a tic! The definition is “a spasmodic twitching made involuntarily by muscles that are ordinarily under voluntary control”. So really, every time your eyelid twitches, it’s a tic. Don’t worry though, this does not mean you actually have tics. Tics are just a form of twitches.

WebMD.com tells us that most of the time twitches and tics are harmless, but on some occasions it may be a disorder. Tic disorders have repetitive and numerous twitches. They can actually be suppressed, but it can cause major discomfort to the person. It is not really known as to what causes tics, but lack of sleep and stress seem to play a role. Twitches, on the other hand, are what most people experience. These only happen on occasions and are completely involuntary. Extreme cases of eye twitches are called Blepharospasms, which can resemble an eye blinking tic. However, as stated earlier, the tic is controllable while the twitch is not. A twitch or a tic disorder does not usually cause a lot of problems in a person’s life style. They can, however, become disruptive and annoying.

A lot of people have the common eye twitch on occasion. It is nothing to worry about. However, if it becomes very repetitive, you may have a transient tic. Treatment for tics depends on how bad you have them. For transient tics, there is no treatment. You just have to learn to deal with them. On the bright side though, they only last for, at most, a year. For chronic cases that could lead to Tourette’s syndrome, doctors often prescribe medication to help settle the tics a little but mainly suggest behavioral therapy to teach patients how to cope with their disorder.

Tortora, Gerald J, Bryan Dickerson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. New York: Wiley, 2012. Print.

“Tic Disorders and Twitches.” Brain & Nervous System Health Center. WebMD, 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/tic-disorders-and_twitches?page=2>.