Signs of loss of function include:
- Confusion or altered behavior, such as the
inability to become fully roused from sleep or unusually aggressive or
combative behavior.
- Dizziness (vertigo) or loss of balance with
nausea or vomiting.
- Fainting or loss of
consciousness.
- Inability to speak, difficulty speaking, or
difficulty understanding speech.
- Numbness, loss of all feeling, or
inability to move (paralysis) part or all of one side of the body (face, arm,
and leg).
- Sudden dimness, blurring, loss of vision in one or both
eyes, or double vision.
- Sudden unsteadiness that prevents walking
or standing (ataxia).
Brief periods of muscle weakness are common, especially after
a strenuous workout. This type of muscle weakness usually only means that you
have overexerted yourself. It is not a cause for concern as long as you are
able to move all parts of your body and complete your normal daily activities,
even if you have to work a little harder to get things done.
True
muscle weakness means that your ability to move your muscles is decreased
regardless of how hard you try to move them. True muscle weakness that occurs
in one area of your body along with a loss of function, even for a few minutes,
may be caused by decreased blood flow to the brain.
Headache
accompanied by loss of function, even for a few minutes, may mean a decrease in
blood flow to the brain. These symptoms may occur before a:
Prompt medical attention is required for individuals with a
headache and signs of loss of function, even if the loss of function was brief
and temporary.
