Movement Disorders

Movement disorders are conditions characterized by impaired muscle coordination, slow reaction times and uncontrolled movements such as tremors. These can be caused by neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, or by head trauma, an autoimmune disease, or infection; they can even be a side effect of certain medications. Progressive movement disorders such as those tied to Parkinson’s can become debilitating because of an impaired ability to walk, use one’s hands or speak. Some examples of movement disorders include essential tremor; dystonia and dyskinesia; spasticity; fragile x-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome; Tourette’s syndrome; Huntington’s chorea; ballismus; myoclonus; and progressive supranuclear palsy. Treatments for movement disorders will depend upon the underlying cause of the problem, but may include botulinum neurotoxin injections, deep brain stimulation and physical/occupational therapy.