Movement disorders are neurological conditions that affect the speed, fluency, quality, and ease of movement. Abnormal fluency or speed of movement (dyskinesia) may involve excessive or involuntary movement (hyperkinesia) or slowed or absent voluntary movement (hypokinesia). At WKNI, Neurocare Teams specializing in movement disorders create individualized care and treatment plans for patients and families that concentrate on combating the disorder and lessening the frequency and severity of the symptoms.

Movement disorders include the following conditions:

• Ataxia (lack of coordination, often producing jerky movements)
• Dystonia (causes involuntary movement and prolonged muscle contraction)
• Huntington's disease
• Multiple system atrophies (e.g., Shy-Drager syndrome)
• Myoclonus (rapid, brief, irregular movement)
• Parkinson's disease
• Restless leg syndrome (RSD) and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)
• Tics (involuntary muscle contractions)
• Tourette's syndrome
• Tremor (e.g., essential tremor, resting tremor)

• Wilson disease

Symptoms

• Tremors: Tremors are coarse and rhythmic involuntary movements. They usually occur in one hand while the hand is at rest. Emotional stress or fatigue may worsen the tremor. The tremor may eventually progress to the other hand, the arms, and the legs. A tremor may also affect the jaws, tongue, forehead, and eyelids, but not the voice. In some people, a tremor never develops.

• Stiffness: Muscles become stiff, impairing movement. When the forearm is bent back or straightened out by another person, the movement may feel stiff and ratchet-like.

• Slowed movements: Movements become slow and difficult to initiate, and people tend to move less - mobility decreases.

• Difficulty maintaining balance and posture: Posture becomes stooped, and balance is difficult to maintain, leading to a tendency to fall forward or backward. Because movements are slow, people often cannot move their hands quickly enough to break a fall.