Movement disorders are conditions caused by problems in the brain that interfere with a person's ability to move. They often cause a range of movement problems and can affect almost any part of the body.

The basic symptoms that a person with a movement disorder experiences may include:

• Tremor
  
• Stiffness
  
• Difficulty walking
  
• Tics

Categories of movement disorders
There are 2 basic categories of movement disorders:

1. Those that cause too little movement, or Akinetic-rigid Disorders
   
   
   • These conditions cause people lose the ability to move all or part of their body.
     
     
   • Akinetic patients have to move slowly and with stiffness.
     
     
   • Automatic movements, such as eye blinking, may also be slowed
     
     
   • Examples include Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, and corticobasal ganlionic degeneration
     
     
2. Those that cause too much movement, or Hyperkinetic Disorders
   
   
   • These conditions cause excessive and involuntary movements.
     
     
   • Hyperkinetic patients often cannot control movements.
     Examples include Huntington's disease, Tourette's syndrome, essential tremor, and dystonia

Learn more about the most common types of movement disorders here:

• Dystonia 
  
• Essential Tremor
  
• Huntington's Disease
  
• Parkinson's Disease
  
• Tourette's syndrome
   

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Huntington's Disease Clinic Patient Brochure
Learn more about the Huntington's Disease (HD) and the Emory HD Clinic. Download our Patient Brochure here.
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