Mental Health
Locomotor Ataxia
Progressive degeneration of the rear spinal cord causing inability to coordinate movement, loss of bladder and bowel control, and shooting pains — caused by unresolved systemic infection damaging the spinal column.
📝 Summary
In short: Progressive degeneration of the rear spinal cord causing inability to coordinate movement, loss of bladder and bowel control, and shooting pains — caused by unresolved systemic infection damaging the spinal column.
Common causes: Progressive damage to the posterior (rear) spinal cord, typically from earlier unresolved systemic infection.; The root infection compromises the spinal cord's vascular supply and nerve tissue over years..
First thing to try: Improve general nutrition through careful cold mitten friction and graduated cold baths (protecting the spine with a dry towel).
See a doctor if: This is a potentially serious condition that requires professional medical diagnosis and care. See a doctor promptly — the suggestions here are gentle, supportive measures only and are not a substitute for medical treatment.
🌿 Overview
Locomotor ataxia (tabes dorsalis) is a progressive disease damaging the rear portions of the spinal column. It develops from earlier untreated infectious disease. A person in seemingly good health begins to develop abdominal pains of increasing severity, then shooting pains through the legs, loss of coordination in the dark, loss of leg control, and eventually loss of bladder and bowel control. Despite this progression, patients may live on for years. Natural treatment focuses on arresting progression by suppressing toxic causes, improving spinal nutrition, and systematic rehabilitation.
Common signs
- Girdle-like abdominal pain that increases in severity
- excruciating shooting pains through legs and body
- progressive loss of ability to walk, especially in the dark
- loss of bladder and bowel control. A person may eventually become a helpless invalid while remaining alive for years.
🔎 Why it happens
Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.
- Progressive damage to the posterior (rear) spinal cord, typically from earlier unresolved systemic infection.
- The root infection compromises the spinal cord's vascular supply and nerve tissue over years.
✅ What to do
Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.
- Improve general nutrition through careful cold mitten friction and graduated cold baths (protecting the spine with a dry towel).
- Prolonged neutral baths beginning at 96°F, daily lowering temperature to 90°F, increasing duration from 30 minutes to 2–3 hours.
- Short sweating baths followed by graduated cold baths to combat toxemia.
- FomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → to the spine (110–120°F, twice daily) with heating compressA cloth soaked in warm or cold liquid, held on the skin. How to make a compress → during intervals.
- Thorough back massage; spine-stretching exercises.
- Special exercises for each affected muscular group.
- For lightning pains: prolonged warm fan douche to the spine (95–100°F).
⭐ Community-ranked natural supports
Vote ▲ on everything that helped you, and ▼ on anything you tried that didn't — the ranking updates live. Tap 💬 to share what worked, so others can find it faster.
A brisk daily walk in fresh air lifts mood, lowers blood pressure, and aids digestion and sleep.92355
A cool, damp cloth or covered ice pack that calms swelling, itching, and throbbing.93211
Crowd feedback, not medical advice — in this preview your vote is saved on your device. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit).
📊 Compare these remedies side by side
Our editor score weighs sources, safety, simplicity, cost, and lifestyle fit. Source endorsements tally how many books and studies reference each remedy. A higher number isn't a promise — it's just a starting point.
| Remedy | Type | Editor score | Source endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Walking | Exercise | 92 | 355 |
| Cold Compress | Therapy | 93 | 211 |
| Warm & Cold Compress | Therapy | 88 | 198 |
| Gentle Stretching | Exercise | 93 | 108 |
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Clean, nourishing whole-food diet. Build up general health nutrition. Avoid all toxic substances — alcohol, tobacco, processed food, refined sugar. Adequate water intake throughout the day. Full vitamin-mineral supplementation.
⚖️ Good to know
- Avoid cold applications to the spine or cold general douches — these contraindications must be respected as they aggravate the condition.
- Avoid very hot applications.
- The condition progresses slowly but is generally irreversible once established — preventing further loss and maximizing remaining function are realistic goals.
- Seek medical evaluation for pain management.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- This is a potentially serious condition that requires professional medical diagnosis and care. See a doctor promptly — the suggestions here are gentle, supportive measures only and are not a substitute for medical treatment.
💚 Was this page helpful?
A quick tap helps us improve these guides. Saved on your device in this preview.