Approach to the Patient: Movement Disorders

Divided into akinetic rigid forms, with muscle rigidity and slowness of movement, and hyperkinetic forms, with involuntary movements. In both types, preservation of strength is the rule. Most movement disorders arise from disruption of basal ganglia circuits; common causes are degenerative diseases (hereditary and idiopathic), drug induced, organ system failure, CNS infection, and ischemia. Clinical features of the various movement disorders are summarized below.