Parkinson's Disease

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a slowly progressing, neurological disorder that causes the body to move in unintended ways. PD gets worse over time. The condition is caused by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that plays a key role in movement and other aspects of daily life.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Tremor or trembling of the arms, jaw, legs, and face
Stiffness or rigidity in the limbs and trunk
Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)
Unstable posture or impaired balance and coordination

UR Medicine's Treatments for Parkinson's Disease

With today's medicine, we have yet to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. However, based upon the severity of the symptoms and medical profile, our team will establish an appropriate treatment protocol.

Treatment for Parkinson's disease may include the following:

Medications
Surgery
Complementary and supportive therapies, such as diet, exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy

Our Movement Disorders team provides diagnosis and leading-edge care to people with neurological movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and related conditions, along with many other conditions.

Our experienced multidisciplinary team includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurophysiologists, nutritionists, and social workers who bring decades of experience treating patients.

Patient Stories

Deep Brain Stimulation

Cindy Guentner, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, gets a "new lease on life" by benefiting from deep brain stimulation surgery.

What Sets Us Apart?

URMC is one of eight academic medical centers recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research. The effort brings together researchers from industry and multiple academic institutions to focus on the development of digital tools to enhance understanding of the disease, engage people in research, and speed the development of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

URMC researchers have played a leading role in research that has brought five new drugs to market to treat Parkinson’s disease. The Center for Health + Technology (CHeT) is a recognized leader and innovator in harnessing digital health technologies such as telemedicine, wearables, remote monitoring, and mobile apps to improve access to Parkinson’s care and development new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.