The Movement Disorders Center at Rush has been existence since 1970. Its focus is to conduct research into the causes and treatment of movement disorders and to provide state-of-art care for movement disorder patients. Patients in our practice range in age from small children to the elderly. The physicians and staff of the center have three main areas of focus: patient care, education and research.

As clinical researchers, the Movement Disorders Center team at Rush not only brings the latest innovations in medicine to their patients. They also spark those innovations by bringing their problems to the lab, where Rush researchers focus on uncovering novel ways to treat and prvent movement disorders. Rush researchers are currently investigating the implantation of retinal cells to protect the brain from deterioration caused by Parkinson’s disease, and the preliminary results have been promising. Several Rush studies are zeroing in on preventing the progression of Parkinson’s  disease in its early stages. The objective: to halt or slow down the disease.

The center cares for patients with the following diagnoses:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Huntington’s disease and other choreic illnesses
• Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and other tic-related illnesses
• Dystonia
• Tremor
• Myoclonus

Christopher Goetz, MD, is director of the movement disorders program at Rush. Dr. Goetz is one of the nation’s leading experts on movement disorders, having published more than 160 papers in the field. Dr. Goetz leads one of the world’s largest group of experts dedicated to movement disorders. Each member of the group focuses on a specific area of interest, whether it be women’s health issues, surgical approaches to disease or how disease affedts patients while they are sleeping. Learn more about the movement disorders team at Rush.