Learning About Movement Disorders
“Having a movement disorder can feel at times like being a prisoner in your own body, or as if your body has a mind of its own. I think the hardest part is how misunderstood and isolated you can feel. It wasn’t until I received an accurate diagnosis and treatment that I felt I had control over my life again.”
Movement disorders are chronic, often painful, and debilitating neurological conditions that affect the ability to control movement. Having a movement disorder can make it difficult – even impossible – to do the routine things in life that most people take for granted.
Movement disorders are common. More than 40 million Americans – nearly one in seven people – are affected. Yet many movement disorders are not well known and symptoms may not be recognized by all medical professionals.
A patient with a movement disorder may visit more than 15 doctors over the course of five years before receiving an accurate diagnosis…
…and during this time, people often struggle to cope with new limitations and daily challenges beyond their movement disorder, including misunderstanding and social stigma – at home and at work. But with timely accurate diagnosis, treatment, and the support of your healthcare team, it is possible to live with less pain and fewer daily limitations and restrictions – to live your life more fully “in motion.”
For in-depth information about movement disorders, see wemove.org. For fact sheets about movement disorders, see the Movement Disorder Resource Center
The Life in Motion campaign is funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Allergan, Inc.
For terms of use, please visit wemove.org.