label: Hemiballismus
label_lc: hemiballismus
description: "Hemiballismus is a rare movement disorder that is caused primarily by damage to various areas in the basal ganglia. Hemiballismus is usually characterized by involuntary flinging motions of the extremities. The movements are often violent and have wide amplitudes of motion. They are continuous and random and can involve proximal and/or distal muscles on one side of the body, while some cases even include the facial muscles. The more a patient is active, the more the movements increase. With relaxation comes a decrease in movements."