UF Health Tyler’s Hope Dystonia Center for Comprehensive Dystonia Care
The University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration was created in July 2002 and remains one of the most vibrant, most collaborative, and most rapidly growing Centers in the McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine’s enterprise. Since the launch of the center the growth has been exponential. It now forms the core of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.
In 2008 the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration was designated as the first Tyler’s Hope Center for Comprehensive Dystonia Care.
Dystonia is a movement disorder where muscles co-contract and leave sufferers in abnormal postures. In severe cases sufferers can “look like a pretzel.”
Through this Center designation, we are now able to provide a world-class “concierge service” to every new patient seen at our center with dystonia. During scheduling, the staff interviews the patient and family and identifies other areas of need (such as social services, physical therapy, psychotherapy, etc) so that they can be simultaneously scheduled during the clinic visit, providing true interdisciplinary care. We have created similar “signature” programs in care, education and outreach for our dystonia patients.
Our Dystonia Center’s mission
To provide the highest level of medical and surgical care to patients with dystonia. To perform research that will lead to better treatments and ultimately a cure for dystonia and other movement disorders. Learn more about Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure.
Dystonia is a movement disorder which is characterized by sustained and involuntary co-contractions of opposing muscles that result in twisting movements or abnormal postures. It may affect any body part: hands, arms, legs, neck, trunk, eyelids face or jaw. To learn more about blepharospasms, cervical dystonia and treatments, please read on.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
Our dystonia patients are able to see multiple disciplines during their visit at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases. You can be scheduled to see neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, psychology, speech & swallowing therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and dietitians. You can also participate in a variety of research studies.
Our University of Florida team has grown to include support from:
- McKnight Brain Institute
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Health and Psychology
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Epidemiology and Health Policy Research
- Applied Physiology and Kinesiology
- Social Work
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Nutrition
Learn more about our team here.
Dystonia Center Highlights
Over 10 Interdisciplinary specialists can see our Dystonia patients
Over 1200 Dystonia patients seen in our interdisciplinary Center
250 Deep Brain Stimulation leads implanted for dystonia
- The potential to get your care from over 10 interdisciplinary specialists in a single day on a single floor of a single building
- The world renown fast-track interdisciplinary work-up and care for deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) for Dystonia and other movement disorders
- On site MRI, swallowing and rehabilitation
- Expert Botulinum Toxin Clinic
- Expert Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Troubleshooting clinic where people travel from all over the world for diagnosis and management of DBS related problems or issues with dystonia
- Interdisciplinary complex case conference every month to address the most difficult management issues
- Weekly video rounds and didactics for staff, doctors, and scientists
- Home to one of the world’s largest movement disorders databases (INFORM-PD)
- Home to over 50 research studies and also many basic science laboratories including stem cells, gene therapy, imaging, DBS, and protein processing science
- Currently funded to major DYT-TOR1A (formerly known as DYT1) clinical translational projects (patient oriented) and several basic science projects
- Training multiple doctors in clinical-research fellowships each year, and train scores of graduate students for their masters and PhD degrees
Our Dystonia Center provides
- Neurological consults
- Neurosurgical consultation and surgery including Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Botulinum toxin treatment
- Speech and language disorder evaluation and treatment
- Gait training and Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Treatment of associated anxiety, depression and mood disorders
- Education for fellows, residents, medical and graduate students
- Interdisciplinary research toward dystonia treatments and a cure
Becoming a Tyler’s Hope Center for Comprehensive Dystonia Care Patient
We recommend contacting our Scheduling Team by either calling 352-294-5400 or using our online appointment form and they will tell you what documentation we need. If you’d like to get a jump start on that, see below.
If you are interested in becoming a patient, please contact your physician for a referral. This can be your family physician, internal medicine physician, neurologist, or any physician who feels you may have a movement disorder.
Please ask your doctor’s office to fax a referral to our Dystonia Scheduling Team at 352-627-4295 . This referral should include all your demographic information (so we can contact you with appointment information), as well as copies of your insurance card(s) and the most-recent 3-5 clinic notes from your neurologist. You can also call our Scheduling Team at 352-294-5400 for more information on this process.
Driving from Georgia and Florida is quite reasonable and we also have patients visit from around the world.
Find out more about our Dystonia Center’s: