Movement Disorders

What are movement disorders?

Movement disorders are neurological (brain and nervous system) problems that abnormally increase, change, or reduce your movements. They include:

• Huntington’s disease
• Ataxia
• Chorea
• Restless legs syndrome
• Tardive dyskinesia
• Dystonia
• Multiple system atrophy
• Myoclonus
• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Tourette syndrome
• Essential tremor
• Wilson’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease

One of the most common of these disorders is Parkinson’s disease, which causes involuntary (uncontrollable) body movements. Parkinson’s disrupts dopamine production in the brain, a neurotransmitter chemical that helps you move smoothly and purposefully.

What problems might my movement disorder cause?  

The difficulties you experience because of your movement disorder vary depending on which condition you have and its severity. Examples of common problems include:

Bradykinesia

Bradykinesia (slowed movement) affects your ability to perform routine motions and everyday tasks.

Tremors

Tremors and shakes — a common Parkinson’s disease symptom — often have a back-and-forth rhythm.

Motion rigidity

Motion rigidity means having stiff, contracted muscles that resist movement.

Postural instability

Postural instability is a lack of balance that increases your risk of falls.

Tics

Tics are fast, recurring muscle movements resulting in sudden body jolts or twitches that are difficult to control.

If you have Parkinson’s, you might also develop additional symptoms like problems speaking, chewing, and swallowing, cognitive problems or dementia, and emotional changes.

What treatments are available for movement disorders?

The movement disorder treatment your Las Vegas Neurology Center provider recommends depends on which condition you have and what problems it’s causing. Parkinson’s disease medication combines levodopa (which helps your nerve cells make more dopamine) with carbidopa (which stops changes from happening before the levodopa reaches your brain).

Other movement disorder medications include:

• Anticholinergic medications
• Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors
• Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors
• Muscle relaxants
• Anti-anxiety drugs
• Medical Botox® injections

Physical, occupational, and speech therapies and psychotherapy can also be helpful. They have many benefits, including helping you keep moving, preventing muscle wastage, and enabling you to continue with daily tasks by showing you different ways to accomplish them. Mobility aids like canes and walkers can also be useful, especially if you have problems balancing.

An alternative to medication is deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS uses a battery-operated implantable pulse generator (IPG) to transmit electrical signals to certain parts of your brain. This corrects faulty nerve signals causing your symptoms, easing bradykinesia, tremor, motion rigidity, dystonia, and walking problems.

Call Las Vegas Neurology Center for expert movement disorder diagnosis and treatment, or book an appointment online today.