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Uncontrollable tremors, rigid muscles, and walking slower than usual are signs that you could have a movement disorder. If you have movement concerns, seek help at New England Institute for Neurology and Headache because movement disorders are caused by neurological problems in your brain. The skilled team creates customized treatment plans that improve your symptoms and help you maintain optimal functioning. Call the office in Stamford, Connecticut, or book an appointment online to get expert care for a movement disorder.
What are movement disorders?
Movement disorders include the many neurological conditions affecting your muscles. These disorders cause uncontrollable movements like spasms and shakiness and can increase or slow muscle movement.
Movement disorders begin when there’s a problem in the area of your brain responsible for muscle movement. For example, your brain needs dopamine to control your muscles; some movement disorders damage the dopamine-producing nerves.
The most common movement disorders include:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- Functional movement disorders
- Restless leg syndrome
- Essential tremor
- Spasticity
- Dystonia
- Chorea
- Ataxia
- Tic disorders
- Tourette syndrome
- Tardive dyskinesia
Some movement disorders cause progressive brain changes that can become crippling.
What symptoms do movement disorders cause?
People with movement disorders experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Rigid or stiff muscles
- Tremors (shaking)
- Muscle spasms
- Loss of balance
- Impaired coordination
- Unusual posture
- Slow movement
- Difficulty walking
- Repetitive movements
- Difficulty speaking or swallowing
- Decline in memory and thinking ability
- Uncontrollable arm, leg, head, neck, or upper body movements
Tic disorders cause sudden, brief, repetitive movements or sounds that you can’t control but could seem purposeful to others.
How are movement disorders diagnosed?
Your New England Institute for Neurology and Headache provider reviews your medical history and symptoms and completes neurological and physical exams. They might need other brain diagnostics, like a CT scan or an electroencephalogram (EEG), to evaluate your brain.
Your provider might also do bloodwork or perform electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) to evaluate the electrical activity in your muscles.
How are movement disorders treated?
New England Institute for Neurology and Headache employs an exceptional team that provides holistic care for movement disorders.
They understand that movement disorders affect every part of your life. In addition to providing crucial medical care to ease your symptoms and stop or slow progressive brain damage, they offer therapies that improve the quality of your daily life.
Your personalized treatment plan can include:
- Medications (many different medicines are available for movement disorders)
- Botox® injections
- Nutrition counseling
- Behavioral therapy
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Therapeutic massage
- Ketamine infusions
- Mobility aids
Your provider could recommend more invasive treatments if your symptoms don’t improve. Several movement disorders improve with deep brain stimulation. Or you might need surgery to reduce severe tremors.
Call New England Institute for Neurology and Headache today or connect online to get in-office, telemedicine, or at-home care for movement disorders.