Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Care

The Rush Approach to Movement Disorders

Rush has Centers of Excellence and Centers of Care for Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, Huntington's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

This high-level of care is all part of our commitment to providing in-depth, specialized movement disorders treatment across the Rush system.

Our team treats your movement disorder holistically and individually. We talk with you and your caregivers to understand which symptoms you experience, how they fluctuate and what effect they have on your day-to-day life.

We address all aspects of movement disorders:

• Physical symptoms (motor symptoms)
• Mental and emotional concerns (non-motor symptoms)
• Medication management
• Surgical and minimally invasive treatments, including asleep deep brain stimulation and focused ultrasound (also known as MR-guided focused ultrasound)
• Support groups for patients and caregivers
• Ongoing education (e.g., about new treatments, research, management of your disease, etc.)
• Clinical trials and research

Rush Excellence in Movement Disorders

• Specialized movement disorders expertise: Rush treats more than 6,000 patients with movement disorders per year, and we have numerous movement disorders Centers of Excellence. That experience means our patients — and their caregivers — receive the most up-to-date, and time-tested options possible for movement disorders treatment.
• Medication management: Our goal is to keep your medication levels as constant as possible so you can have continuous symptom relief throughout the day. Every person reacts differently to medications for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. That's why we ask at each visit how your medications are working and any side effects you are experiencing. This helps us change your medications, as well as the frequency and schedule of your doses as needed
• Movement disorders surgery: Rush offers the latest surgeries for movement disorders. That includes multiple forms of deep brain stimulation (DBS) — including asleep deep brain stimulation and directional DBS — for Parkinson's disease, dystonia and essential tremor.
• Remote follow-up care for DBS patients: If you have DBS surgery, once your stimulator is implanted and programmed, you will need to have the settings adjusted several times a year to ensure optimal symptom control, or as your symptoms change. Now, if you have the Abbott Infinity DBS system, you can choose to receive some or all of your adjustments remotely. Rush is one of the first in the nation, and the only center in Illinois, to offer virtual follow-up care using the NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic — first-of-its-kind technology that enables your doctor to communicate with you and adjust your stimulator settings in real time via video chat. So you can get the same level of follow-up care from Rush's nationally ranked movement disorder specialists without having to come to our office.
• Focused ultrasound: Rush offers focused ultrasound for essential tremor and parkinsonian tremor that do not respond to medications. Focused ultrasound treats tremor without any incisions; instead, neurosurgeons use sound waves on the area in the brain that causes tremors. Rush is the only system in Illinois to offer focused ultrasound.
• Team-based approach: The movement disorders team in Chicago meets regularly to discuss all aspects of a patient's care — from their lifestyle to where they live and their current symptoms — to decide the best options for care. The team works closely with neurologists in the western suburbs to offer care that's logistically convenient for each patient.
• Holistic treatment and therapies: Because patients with movement disorders benefit from exercise, we encourage our patients to participate in exercise therapy. Exercise options include a boxing program in Aurora and dance therapy in Chicago. In addition to exercise, we offer music and art therapy, along with physical, occupational and speech therapy.
• Support for patients and caregivers: We understand that emotional support is crucial for people with movement disorders and their loved ones. In addition to individual counseling, we offer support groups where you can meet other patients and caregivers. Learn more about our support groups for movement disorders.
• Ongoing research and clinical trials: We conduct research into finding new ways to treat Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, slow their progression and find a cure. Many of our clinicians research specific aspects of movement disorders, as well as see patients. That means we're able to more fully integrate new research opportunities, such as clinical trials, into your care. Your movement disorders specialist will talk with you about trials for which you may be eligible.