Motor tics can be simple or complex. Simple motor tics involve only one muscle group or body part. They usually are not harmful, but can be embarrassing or painful.
Some simple motor tics include:
- Quick eye blinks or eye jerks
- Tongue movements, including sticking out the tongue
- Head twitches or head jerks
- Squatting and hopping
- Shoulder shrugs
Complex motor tics can be a combination of many simple motor tics or a series of movements that involve more than one muscle group. Complex motor tics are slower and often appear as if the person is performing a movement intentionally. These types of tics can interfere greatly with daily life and may be harmful, such as head banging or lip biting.
Some complex motor tics include:
- Facial grimacing
- Touching people or things
- Obscene gesturing or gyrating movements
Like motor tics, vocal tics can be simple or complex. Simple vocal tics involve sounds made by moving air through the nose or mouth, including:
- Throat clearing
Complex vocal tics may involve words, phrases and sentences. Patients with a complex vocal tic may repeat their own words (palilalia) or other people’s words (echolalia), and may use obscene words (coprolalia). These vocal tics may interrupt the flow of a normal conversation or occur at the beginning of a sentence, much like a stutter or a stammer.
Causes and Risk Factors
Generally tics start in childhood and tend to improve during adulthood. If the tic begins in a person’s teens or early adulthood, it will likely be a lifelong condition. Tics may get worse when a patient experiences stress, sleep deprivation, excitement, heat or caffeine.