19th Ave New York, NY 95822, USA

Movement Disorder Specialist: Beyond a General Neurologist

A neurologist with a movement-disorder specialty can improve your quality of life.

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF):

movement-disorder-specialist-150x150

A movement disorder specialist is a doctor, a neurologist in fact, who is trained specifically to treat movement disorders.  Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder – a neurological condition that affects movement. Other movement disorders include dystonia, Tourette’s syndrome and Huntington’s disease. Movement disorder specialists must complete their residency training in neurology and then complete additional training (a fellowship) in movement disorders. These are the most qualified doctors to treat Parkinson’s disease because of their in-depth knowledge of the disease, its symptoms, medications and current research (including relevant clinical trials).1

In Specialized Care Urged for Treating Parkinson’s Disease, an online article published by the Wall Street Journal, surveyors found that very few Parkinson’s patients are seeing a movement specialist and a significantly low number are even aware of their existence. As Parkinson’s disease affects physical movements, regular exercise helps Parkinson’s patients better control symptoms. Dr. Lawrence Elmer, a movement-disorder specialist and Director of the University of Toledo’s Gardner-McMaster Parkinson Center is a proponent of regular exercise as an effective treatment measure and indicates that “there is so much more to offer patients now than just, ‘Here, take a pill.’”2

To search for a movement disorder specialist in your region, try the Movement Disorder Specialist Finder.

Residential Home Health offers programs specifically developed to address the needs of patients at home coping with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. In fact, hundreds of doctors across Michigan and Illinois partner with Residential Home Health to care for their patients because of Residential’s comprehensive offerings that slow the disease’s progression and improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients and those individuals challenged with movement disorders. Residential Home Health’s Mario Nanos says, “Residential Home Health is a one-stop-shop when it comes to keeping movement disorders patients safe in their homes… In fact, that’s what LSVT© is all about… getting patients moving, exercising and reconnecting those neuro-pathways, and Residential Home Health is the largest employer of LSVT© therapists in the world!”

Residential Home Health’s specialty programs for patients coping with movement disorders include:

LSVT© BIG & LOUD – Intensive therapy programs help patients with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders walk and talk to their fullest potential. Learn more ››
Speech Therapy – Intensive therapy programs help patients with motor speech disorders, swallowing difficulty, loss of language ability and cognitive and memory conditions. These programs are specifically designed to address the needs of patients coping with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, ALS, head injuries and dementia. Learn more ››
StepWise – Fall awareness and prevention program increases independence and safety by improving mobility, balance and strength. Learn more ››

Resources:

  1. http://www.pdf.org/en/yy_doctor
  2. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304479704579580020917565860