Movement Disorders Treatment in NJ | Hackensack Meridian Health   

Movement Disorders

Our team of highly specialized movement disorder doctors employ the latest technologies and research to diagnose and treat movement disorders in children and adults. 

Our movement disorder experts include adult and pediatric neurologists, physiatrists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists and more, in convenient locations across New Jersey. 

We treat the full spectrum of movement disorders, including:

  • Ataxia
  • Cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis)
  • Chorea
  • Dystonia
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Parkinsonism
  • Progressive supranuclear palsy
  • Restless legs syndrome
  • Tardive dyskinesia
  • Tic disorders
  • Tourette’s syndrome
  • Tremor and Essential Tremor
  • Wilson’s disease
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Why Choose Hackensack Meridian Health for Movement Disorders Care

Excellence

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has earned the Healthgrades Neurosciences Excellence Award in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Quality

Hackensack University Medical Center is recognized for excellence in Parkinson’s Disease care and treatment by The Joint Commission, a national healthcare accreditation organization.

Innovation

We are the only health network in New Jersey to offer Focused Ultrasound, a minimally invasive treatment for patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease tremor that has not responded to medications.

We specialize in the use of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to detect movement disorders. 

One of the most advanced diagnostic tools available, SPECT helps neurologists visualize dopamine transporter levels in the brain, providing exceptional clarity while using a low dose of radiation.

We also use a wide variety of other diagnostic procedures to help physicians provide accurate and timely assessments of movement disorders, including:

  • Blood or urine samples to check for markers of neurological disorders and rule out other conditions.
  • Electromyography (EMG) to measure the electrical impulses along your nerves and muscles, which determine how well your nerves and muscles work together.
  • Imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), to identify neurological abnormalities and diagnose your movement disorder.
  • Neurophysiological exam to detect neurological abnormalities.
  • Neuropsychological exam to assess cognitive skills like attention, executive functioning, memory, language and visuospatial processing.

We provide a full array of medical and surgical treatments, and specialize in the most advanced treatments available, including Deep Brain Stimulation. 

Our diverse team of movement disorder experts consider your diagnosis, health history, lifestyle and other factors to construct a personalized treatment plan that meets your unique priorities and needs, controls your symptoms, maintains your independence and improves your quality of life. 

Surgical options

  • Deep Brain Stimulation: One of the most effective and advanced treatments for Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremor, Dystonia and other movement disorders. This implantation surgery involves placing a small wire or stimulating lead in the brain. Extension cables are then routed under the skin down to the chest where an implanted neurostimulator delivers a continual electrical stimulation, unfelt by the patient, to improve symptoms. 
  • MRI-guided laser therapy uses laser technology to deliver a specific amount of energy to a targeted region of the brain to destroy the brain cells causing the seizures.
  • Stereotactic pallidotomy may be an option for patients who can’t undergo deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson’s or other movement disorders. It uses radiofrequency ablation to create a small lesion in the part of the brain responsible for movement control. 
  • Stereotactic thalamotomy to treat essential tremor or tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. This procedure creates lesions that stop or reduce tremors using Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery technology.
  • Focused Ultrasound (FUS),a minimally invasive alternative to deep-brain stimulation for patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease tremor that has not responded to medications.

Nonsurgical options

  • Botulinum injections
  • Complex medical management

Supportive services

  • Psychological counseling to help you and your family cope with the emotional challenges of living with a movement disorder.
  • Neuropsychology to help you through cognitive challenges that may occur with movement disorders, such as memory loss.
  • Nutritional counseling
  • Physical therapy, occupational therapy and exercise to improve your flexibility, balance and strength.
  • Speech and swallow therapy to address communication difficulties and manage cough and swallowing problems.

Learn more about our treatment for pediatric movement disorders in New Jersey

Movement disorders are a group of neurological conditions that cause problems with movement, such as slow, voluntary movement and increased, involuntary movements.

Three of the major disorders are Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremors and Dystonia.

Several factors can cause movement disorders, including:

  • Genetic factors
  • Infection
  • Certain medications
  • Damage to the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Stroke 
  • Toxins
  • Vascular diseases

Movement Disorders Treatment Locations

Movement Disorders Program at Hackensack University Medical Center

Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at JFK University Medical Center

Movement Disorders Program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center


Rehabilitation for Movement Disorders in New Jersey

Our specialists are leaders in movement disorder rehabilitation and follow the latest, evidence-based guidelines. Our movement disorder rehabilitation team includes: 
  • Board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians
  • Movement disorder neurologists
  • Certified rehabilitation registered nurses (CRRN)
  • Movement disorder therapists
Learn more about rehabilitation for movement disorders in New Jersey.
Movement Disorder Specialists in New Jersey

Our team of neurological experts includes fellowship-trained and board-certified physicians who hold the highest level of training and accreditation possible in their specialty, as well as highly skilled nurses to provide you with the best care and treatment options available, right here in your community.

Parkinson's Doctors
Patient Story

“Luck brought me to Dr. Rocco DiPaola. The communication of his whole team was in sync, and that was important. “My quality of life has vastly improved. I can’t thank them enough.” — Timothy Welch, Whiting, New Jersey

Clinical trials for gastric cancer at John Theurer Cancer Center
Clinical Trials and Research for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in New Jersey

Our neurology and neurosurgery experts provide you with access to the latest clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders before they become widely available.

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