This is the name used when a medical condition is thought to be the cause of a sleep related movement disorder.
Most of the time, this label is only temporary. Once the medical condition is found, its name will be given to the patient’s problem.
The movement disorder name will still be used in the following circumstances:
- The sleep complaint is very severe.
- The complaint must be tended to by a sleep specialist.
- The link between the movements and the medical condition is not clear.
In some patients, a medical condition will never be found for sure. For them, “sleep related movement disorder due to medical condition” will still be the name given to their problem.
By Donald R. Townsend, PhD
Updated May 16, 2006
