Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders
Overview
Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders are considered neurological, and particularly neurodegenerative, diseases. These disorders include all Parkinson’s syndromes, Dystonia and diseases which manifest predominant tremor symptoms.
Diagnosis
In most cases, your medical team can diagnose Parkinson’s syndrome relatively quickly and reliably, based on how your symptoms manifest. In some cases, however, it is not easy to differentiate between the different forms of Parkinson’s syndrome, since not every patient presents with the same symptoms at the onset of the disease. In cases where the subtype is not easy to determine, your medical team may recommend further testing. These include using technical equipment to make a diagnosis, such as imaging to examine the brain, namely magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or DAT Scan. A medication (L-Dopa) test may also be recommended, where your medical team tests how you respond to dopamine.
Treatment
Treatment for movement disorders and Parkinson’s disease varies greatly depending on the specific case, its primary cause, and symptoms. Every step in the diagnostic procedure helps the GMI team tailor each treatment plan to each patient, taking into consideration your individual case and personal preferences.
For some diseases, therapies involving medication are available. For example, the tremor experienced by Parkinson’s patients can be suppressed, at least temporarily. The treatment options for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders are continuously improving. In addition to medication, special forms of therapy are effective, such as drug pumps for Parkinson’s disease, the injections of botulinum toxin for dystonia and spastic paralysis, or surgical interventions like deep brain stimulation, which is used primarily in Parkinson’s disease, spastic movement disorders, dystonia, and tremor disorders. During a neurosurgical procedure, stimulating electrodes are placed in the patient’s nervous system and high-frequency signals are used to inhibit over-excited activity.
Intrathecal baclofen has also been proven to treat severe dystonia and spasticity in some cases.
If the movement disorders were caused by damage to your brain after a stroke, physiotherapeutic treatment (PT) is sometimes the most important treatment option. Patients can shift the functions controlled by areas of the brain which were damaged, to healthy areas of the brain, through regular and targeted training under expert supervision, thus bringing about an improvement in the movement disorder. If the movement disorders do not improve through treatment, occupational therapy (OT) can help you learn how to manage the disorder and find better ways to surpass everyday challenges by using different assistive devices.
Why GMI
At the GMI, a multidisciplinary team of renowned neurologists guides each patient through their entire journey, from their diagnostic work-up to their treatment and post-treatment care.
The GMI team will never offer a simple “one size fits all” approach to any patient. We believe each patient’s case is as individual as they are and strive to find the best solution for each of our patients, taking their specific case and diagnosis, their lifestyle, and choices into account.
We believe each of our patients is more than their diagnosis. That’s why our dedicated paramedics team supports patients with neurological disorders by offering more than just expert medical care. We offer psychological help, integrative medical services (including yoga classes, and acupuncture) physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation services, and have a GMI Patient Advocacy Program.
Adhering to our passion for innovation, and desire to progress the medical field, the GMI Department of Neurology both initiates and participates in several clinical trials in which the most modern and advanced treatment concepts are tested.
