Movement disorders are neurological conditions that cause involuntary or abnormal movement affecting the speed, quality, and ease of movement. Sometimes they cause additional movements that are unwanted or uncontrolled; sometimes a person's ability to move is reduced or slowed.
The most common of these conditions treated in the Duke Movement Disorders Center are:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- Essential tremor
- Dystonia
Other movement-related conditions that we treat include
- ataxia
- chorea
- hemiballismus
- hemifacial spasm
- myoclonus
- multiple system atrophy (MSA)
- progressuive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- restless leg syndrome
- corticobasal ganglionic degeneration (CBGD)
- spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)
- tardive dyskinesia
- Tourette syndrome
Parkinson's disease is a movement disease that occurs when the body stops producing the neurotransmitter dopamine. It is a progressive disease that develops slowly, typically taking years to appear but gradually getting worse over time. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but it can be treated. Read more about Parkinson's disease at the National Parkinson Foundation, or schedule an appointment at our Movement Disorders Clinic.