Movement Disorders
In the polyclinic, and with occasional assistance in terms of hospital capacity, it is possible to treat a whole specter of movement disorders, which can occur in ranges from overly slow moves (hypokinetic) or the occurrence of involuntary movements (hyperkinetic).
The main movement disorders include the following:
- Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by symptoms such as tremor, slow movement and stiffness of the arms and legs. It is a progressive disorder which can lead to swallowing and speech impairment.
- Dystonias are painful conditions where muscle cramps occur, muscles shake or become stiff, leading to abnormal positions of body parts.
- Huntington's chorea is a hereditary disease which leads to progressive degeneration of certain neurons in the brain, which results in abnormal body movements and mental deterioration.
- Benign essential tremor is a disorder which is usually characterized by arms shaking, or in some cases, head and arm shaking.
- Tourette's syndrome is a disorder characterized by tics, which manifest as sudden involuntary and repeated movements. Motor techs can occur in ranges from winking to jumping, and vocal tics from coughing to speaking socially unacceptable words.
- Cerebral palsy is a chronic condition which leads to movement disorders. Symptoms of this disorder, which is not considered progressive, typically occur in the age of three or less. They include development disorders such as late occurrence of walking, trouble doing tasks which require fine motor control, weak or stiff muscles and speech problems.
- Spasticity is an involuntary continuous muscle contraction which occurs as consequence of brain or spinal cord damage. Muscle contractions interfere with basic body functions such as walking or speech.
