Combining Neuromuscular and Movement disorder fellowships and practice

[Geezzaaagv]

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Hello
I am thinking about doing two separate fellowships ( Neuromuscular and Movement disorders) and combining their practice.

I am curious to see what are your thoughts and whether anyone has experience with combining the two fields?
Thanks

 

[Thama]

I know one person who did this - though he works in a movement disorders group and doesn't use his NM training all that much.

It's probably most useful in the PP world as the referrals for these specialties are regularly confused by non-neurologists (and even some particularly stupid neurologists), and you get to bill for both EMG and BTX.

 

[s5260205]

I know one person who did this - though he works in a movement disorders group and doesn't use his NM training all that much.

It's probably most useful in the PP world as the referrals for these specialties are regularly confused by non-neurologists (and even some particularly stupid neurologists), and you get to bill for both EMG and BTX.

Kind of related but not really. Do you feel neurophysiology with EMG has any role in daily clinical movement disorder practice or more for research purposes?

 

[Thama]

EMG is only useful in movement disorders for localization of Botox injections, and you don't need full EMG training to do that.

I order a lot of EMGs, however, as neuromuscular diseases are regularly referred to movement disorders centers by people that can't tell a sensory neuropathy from a cerebellar ataxia.

 

[xenotype]

Hello
I am thinking about doing two separate fellowships ( Neuromuscular and Movement disorders) and combining their practice.

I am curious to see what are your thoughts and whether anyone has experience with combining the two fields?
Thanks

There is some limited overlap with botox and in the more complex referral base with myelopathic ataxias and stiff person syndrome, etc. You'll be quite useful to any established small-medium PP group as many groups are looking for both an EMGer and someone to work with a surgeon setting up a DBS center. Pick a NM or movement fellowship carefully and you'll learn botox either way- would not be worth a year of lost income to me to do both. Try to figure out which kind of patients you like seeing better and if you really care for EMGs. IMO movement patients are a lot more rewarding than the black hole of ALS. Functional movement patients are much easier than functional NM patients as well. Another option would be to do a fellowship in one, and some sort of instructorship in the other as a 6 month sort of deal- my original program was always more than willing to set up additional training less formally.