When it comes to treating ataxia, treatment mainly depends on the exact cause of ataxia. For example, if one’s ataxia is due to stroke, then we manage the stroke and the ataxia consequently improves. If it is due to nutritional deficiency, then we supplement the deficient nutrient, and we see improvement in ataxia as well.

We still don’t have a “curative” treatment for hereditary or idiopathic ataxias (i.e. Primary ataxias). In hereditary ataxias, doctors usually recommend physiotherapy and occupational therapy for better muscle control and in coping with the condition. Symptomatic treatments are usually used as well to alleviate symptoms depending on the main complaint. For example, if you are complaining of urinary incontinence, bladder relaxants are prescribed, and so on. Sometimes, neuroprotective drugs are used as well to delay disease progression, similar to their use in other neurological disorders, such as:

• Riluzole: This drug is also commonly used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It works by reducing the production of neuro-toxic substances and delaying disease progression.
• Varenicline: Commonly used for smoking cessation
• Amantadine: Also used in Parkinson’s disease
• Baclofen: This is a muscle relaxant that could help in muscle spasticity and pain associated with ataxia.

However, even with all the current medical advancements, there is still not a single curative treatment for hereditary ataxias, and the drugs listed above are merely supportive and still have limits to their efficacy as well as possible side effects due to the need for a life-long use (2,5,6).

Many are now probably thinking “So where does stem cell therapy come in all of this?” Well, to be honest, not all forms of ataxia could probably benefit from this form of therapy; however stem cell therapy has proven to have excellent results in people with primary forms of ataxia – i.e. those not due to a secondary/acquired cause. This is because primary forms of ataxia usually result from immune destruction, and degeneration, of brain areas concerned with equilibrium.