Movement Disorders
Expert care for all types of functional and muscle movement disorders
Expertise in Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders
Lahey Clinic has movement disorder neurologists with advanced training. We care for people with Parkinson’s disease and other functional and muscle movement disorders. As the first in the region to offer life-changing deep brain stimulation treatments, we continue to offer cutting-edge techniques to people with movement disorders.
What are Movement Disorders?
Movement disorders are very common, especially in older adults. They include a variety of neurological conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. Movement disorders are generally caused when a region of the brain, called the basal ganglia, isn’t working properly. The most widely known movement disorder is Parkinson’s disease.
Types of Movement Disorders
There are two basic categories of movement disorders:
- Hypokinetic: Slow movement or a lack of movement, such as with Parkinson’s disease
- Hyperkinetic: Excessive movement, including tremor, chorea (writhing movements), myoclonus and tics
Types of movement disorders include:
- Ataxia
- Atypical parkinsonism
- Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
- Corticobasal degeneration (CBD)
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- Dystonia
- Essential tremor
- Huntington’s disease
- Myoclonus
- Parkinson’s disease
- Restless legs syndrome
- Sydenham’s chorea
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Tics/Tourette syndrome
- Wilson disease
About Our Movement Disorders Center
Expert staff at the Lahey Movement Disorders Center diagnose, treat, and support patients with movement disorders. We use a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together specialists from neurology, neurosurgery, and physical and speech therapy.
We provide complete care to meet the special needs of people with movement disorders. We have a dedicated movement disorders specialist who evaluates and plans treatment for those who need surgical therapy.
Diagnosing Functional and Muscle Movement
Staff in our Movement Disorders Center have the training and experience you or your loved one needs. The initial evaluation includes a thorough medical history and physical exam, as well as neurological tests, if needed.
More About Movement Disorders
We offer state-of-the-art treatment options, such as Botox and deep brain stimulation (DBS), as well as pallidotomy and thalamotomy procedures. We collaborate with you and your family to identify the treatment option that can offer the best results for you.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Lahey was first in the Boston area to perform deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus. Our specialists continue to serve as leaders in the use of this life-changing treatment.
About Deep Brain Stimulation
During these advanced treatments, we place small electrodes in certain regions of the brain to treat movement disorders. DBS can be very effective in treating:
- Essential tremor
- Movement disorders linked to multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Some types of dystonia
Unlike former techniques that created small lesions in the brain, DBS stimulators are fine-tuned to achieve maximum results. And they can be turned off or removed if necessary.
Stimulator Clinic
We offer the Stimulator Clinic to patients who have had DBS surgery for Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor or dystonia. It includes short or prolonged stimulation sessions, depending on your symptoms.
The goal is to achieve the best control of the most bothersome symptoms, such as:
- Dyskinesia (twitching, swaying or writhing)
- Dystonia (twisting, turning or other posture changes)
- Gait (slow, shuffled walking pattern in stooped position)
- Slowness
- Stiffness
- Tremor (rhythmic shaking)
Deep Brain Stimulation Support Group
This support group is for people who’ve had DBS surgery and their family members. The group also is open to patients interested in having the surgery in the future. The meetings take place twice a year in Burlington.
Botulinum Toxin (Botox) Injections
Botox helps alleviate symptoms for people with spasmodic dysphonia, jaw dystonia, drooling and vocal tics related to Tourette syndrome. We regularly bring together a team that includes ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists to discuss the best way to use Botox treatments to relieve these symptoms in each patient.
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 1 million people in the United States. Tens of thousands of people are newly diagnosed each year. You can count on the neurology teams at Lahey to provide caring, compassionate attention and treatments.
Multidisciplinary Clinic for Parkinson's Disease
Once we diagnose Parkinson’s disease (PD), you’ll have a comprehensive assessment. It includes evaluations in neurology, physical therapy and speech therapy. This will be scheduled in advance and all on the same day.
We evaluate people with all stages of PD, including those who’ve had deep brain stimulation surgery. If needed, a social worker and occupation therapist also participate.
Parkinson’s Day Program
The Day Program is a prolonged outpatient visit for those with Parkinson’s. It is a highly personalized program that allows a physician and physician’s assistant to closely assess the patient’s medication response and functional status. It allows us to carefully adjust medications for those with complicated motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, gait disorder and frequent freezing.
Parkinson’s Support Group
Meeting twice a year, this support group is designed for patients with Parkinson’s disease who are being treated at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center.
Presurgical Evaluation for Parkinson’s Disease
Before surgery, we’ll explain in detail what to expect during the procedure. You’ll also have these neurological tests:
- Testing of severity on a special Parkinson’s disease rating scale
- Brain MRI or CT
- Detailed neuropsychological evaluation, if needed
Meet Our Team
