Treatment Options

This option has been used effectively for spasms, focal dystonia, tics and many aspects of Parkinson’s disease. In this treatment, the toxin is injected near where the nerves signal a muscle to contract. In this way, a spasming or overly contracted muscle may be relaxed.

Round-the-clock pumps have been found to be effectively delivery mechanisms for drugs in cases where a patient suffers from ongoing spasticity.

When patients experience worsening symptoms or don’t respond to medical therapies, deep-brain stimulation can offer relief. In this procedure, a neurosurgeon makes a small hole in the skull, then inserts an electrode into a targeted location in the brain. The electrode is attached to an external battery device. By delivering electrical impulses into the affected area of the brain, deep-brain stimulation activates nerve cells and provide symptom relief. Deep-brain stimulation has been helpful for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Another therapy used when conventional management has failed, ablation surgery involves making an opening in the skull and delivering heat energy to brain tissue that is delivering improper electrical signals to the body. By destroying a narrowly targeted section of the brain, the interventional neurologist can limit symptoms.

Temple offers many therapeutic modalities to help patients with movement disorders retain mobility, learn adaptive skills, and maintain their independence. Physical therapy deals with full-body functioning and return to strength, balance and flexibility. Occupational therapy focuses on daily activities and helps patients find effective ways to perform tasks such as getting out of the bed or brushing their teeth. Speech therapy can help with tics and tremors of the mouth and head, especially as related to feeding and communicating.