What are movement disorders?

A movement disorder is a condition that arises in the brain that causes a child to move too much or too little. It can result in a repetitive extra movement or sound, like a motor or vocal tic, or involve a shaking tremor, stiffened posture of the muscles, or difficulties with balance and coordination. At University of Michigan Health, we have a dedicated clinic to provide your child with an accurate diagnosis and treatment, to ensure the best quality of life as possible.

Movement disorders can arise from brain injury, medication, infection, autoimmune disease or they can be inherited. We treat the full spectrum of movement disorders, including:

• Tourette syndrome and tics – involuntary, rapid and repetitive stereotyped movements and sounds (including vocal tics)
• Tremor – an involuntary, repetitive shaking movement of the body
• Dystonia – a group of disorders that cause the body muscles to twist into abnormal postures
• Ataxia – a static or progressive disorder that involves unsteady posture, impaired coordination, often with poor balance and falling
• Restless legs syndrome – a strong urge to move the legs, often during the onset of sleep
• Myoclonus – involuntary rapid jerking of muscles or muscle groups
• Juvenile Huntington disease – degenerative disorder that includes involuntary muscle movements