Premonitory urges are "uncomfortable feelings or sensations preceding tics that usually are relieved by [a particular] movement".
"[2] Sensory phenomena in tic disorders include bodily sensations, mental urges, and a sense of inner tension, feelings of incompleteness, and a need for things to be "just right".
[5] Immediately preceding tic onset, most individuals with Tourette syndrome are aware of an urge,[6] which is similar to the need to sneeze or scratch an itch.
Individuals describe the need to tic as the buildup of tension in a particular anatomical location,[7] which they consciously choose to release, as if the subject "had to do it".
The actual tic may be felt as relieving this tension or sensation, similar to scratching an itch.