They can also involve the rest of the body, as in arm thrusting, leg kicking and jumping motions. Motor tics usually occur in the same part of the body, but over time, tics may fade from one part and appear in another part. Motor tics can be classified as simple or complex. Simple tics are abrupt, brief movements that occur in a single and isolated fashion, meaning that no other tics are experienced at the same time. Examples of motor tics are an eye twitch, a shoulder shrug, or a head jerk.
Complex tics are a series of movements.
These can appear purposeful, as if the person was coordinating them, but they are also involuntary. These might be interpreted as purposeful. Examples of complex tics that would not be seen as purposeful would be repeated kicking motions, or head shaking with shoulder shrugging. Perhaps the most well known symptom of TS is the vocal tic. Vocal tics include everything from a simple clearing of the throat, sniffing noises, grunting or barking to the verbalization of words and nonsensical sounds.