About the Movement Disorders Program
The Movement Disorders Program was established to provide comprehensive care for infants, children and teens with disorders that impact the way they move and control their body. As part of CHOP’s Neuroscience Center, the Movement Disorders Program consists of a multidisciplinary team of physicians and other healthcare providers who collaborate to diagnose, manage, and provide social support to children and their families.
The program’s Medical Director, Nivedita Thakur, MD, is a pediatric neurologist who is fellowship-trained in pediatric movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. This specialized level of training has given her a rare in-depth experience in the management of these complex conditions.
What is a Movement Disorder?
Movement disorders are neurological conditions caused by injuries to the brain, genetic or metabolic conditions, infections, and inflammatory or autoimmune disorders. They can lead to an abnormal increase or decrease in movements.
The movements can be:
- Repetitive like tics or stereotypies
- Rhythmic or shaking like tremor
- Quick jerks that look like myoclonus
- “Wiggly” movements that are described as chorea
- Stiffening or “twisting” of muscles that can be called dystonia
- Difficulty in balance and coordination which can be referred to as ataxia
These movements can impact one part or multiple parts of the body and can be present at rest and/or with motion. These movements can stay the same or change in intensity and frequency with time.
Conditions We Treat
- Tourette’s disorder
- Tic disorders
- Tremor
- Dystonia
- Genetic and neurodegenerative conditions
- Brain iron accumulation
- Ataxia
- Opsoclonus-Myoclonus-Ataxia Syndrome [OMAS]
- Chorea
- Myoclonus
- Parkinsonism
- Stereotypies
- Spasticity
Movement Disorder Treatments
We assess patients and coordinate with families to develop a personalized management plan uniquely tailored to each patient’s needs. We offer both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options. Surgical interventions we offer include:
- Baclofen pump: A pump that delivers a medication called baclofen to the spinal canal. The baclofen pump is surgically implanted near the abdomen, with a catheter (a thin flexible tube) running to the spinal canal to deliver the medication.
- Deep brain stimulation: A battery-powered stimulator is implanted in the chest or abdomen and connected to thin leads in the brain to deliver electrical pulses that reduce dystonia symptoms.
- Selective dorsal rhizotomy: A surgical procedure performed on the lower spinal nerves to reduce spasticity in the legs in children who have spastic forms of cerebral palsy.
Our Programs and Services
We also coordinate subspecialty services and programs throughout our hospital, as needed, to ensure children receive the comprehensive care they need. These include:
- Advanced Tone Management Multidisciplinary Clinic
- Clinic for BPAN and WDR45-related Disorders
- Complex genetic conditions with movement disorders
Research
We offer patients and families the opportunity to participate in innovative research which helps us understand the natural history and best therapeutic options for a child’s condition.