Rush-Copley Movement Disorders Program

The Rush-Copley Movement Disorders Program provides surgical management of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, spasmodic torticollis, spasticity (pediatric and adult) and cerebral palsy. Sepehr Sani, M.D., neurosurgeon with Rush-Copley Neurosurgery and Director of Rush-Copley Medical Center’s Movement Disorders Program, has extensive experience in deep brain stimulation for treatment Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. Surgical procedures include implantation of deep brain stimulators for Parkinson's disease,dystonia, essential tremor,palllidotomy, thalamotomy, selective denervation for torticollis, selective rhizotomy for spasticity and implantation of  baclofen infusion pumps.

What is a movement disorder?

Imagine your hand twitching as try to grab an object or being unable to rise from a chair without
your leg shaking. Movement disorders, which affect a person’s ability to produce or control their movements, can make simple daily activities extremely challenging for patients with these conditions.

It’s estimated that 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from a movement disorder. Some disorders cause involuntary movement while others can prevent certain movements.

Some common types of movement disorders include:
Essential tremor — Tremor is an unintentional muscle movement that causes to-and-fro movements
of one or more parts of the body.

Parkinson’s disease — Parkinson’s disease occurs when certain nerve cells die or become impaired and do not produce enough of the chemical dopamine, which allows for smooth movement of the body's
muscles. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include shaking, trouble with balance, slow movement, or
bradykinesia, and rigidity.

Dystonia — Dystonia is the involuntary contraction of muscles that causes an uncontrollable twisting of a body part. Symptoms of this condition can often interfere with many day-to-day tasks.

Deep Brain Stimulation

A new procedure, Deep Brain Stimulation, can help suppress symptoms of certain movement disorders. It can help make movement in a patient’s off-medication state more like the movement they achieve on medication. Deep Brain Stimulation involves placing a thin metal electrode into the brain and attaching it to a computerized pulse generator. The generator is implanted under the skin in the chest, much like a heart pacemaker. Different areas of the brain are stimulated via the electrode, depending on the condition. The treatment is an option if a person has a severe movement disorder for which medications have not been effective or for patients who no longer have an acceptable quality of life due to shortcomings of medical therapy.