All about dystonia  causes of dystonia symptoms of dystonia treatment for dystonia |
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What're the symptoms of dystonia?
One of the first symptoms of dystonia is usually a deterioration in handwriting and frequent writer's cramp. This usually appears between the ages of 6 and 12. Other symptoms include foot cramps and the tendency to pull up or drag one foot after running or walking for some distance. A type of dystonia called “blepharospasm” is characterized by the repeated and involuntary shutting of the eyelids. Dystonia that involves the neck muscles is called “toticollis.” These spasms can twist the neck to the side, forward, and backward. Spasmodic dysphonia can cause tremors and voice or speech difficulties. Patients with dystonia may have superimposed movements that are slow (athetosis), or rapid (myoclonic), or rhythmic (tremor). It is the sustained twisted postures that are the key to diagnosis. There is a tendency for the movements to be absent at rest and be triggered by movement (action). The movements follow a similar pattern, and these repetitive postures support the diagnosis (unlike chorea which is random). |
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More information on dystonia
What is dystonia? - Dystonia is a movement disorder in which involuntary, sustained muscle contractions cause the muscles to freeze in the middle of an action.
What causes dystonia? - Dystonia is caused by overactivity in the brain, particularly in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebral cortex.
What're the symptoms of dystonia? - Symptoms of dystonia include deterioration in handwriting and frequent writer's cramp. Other symptoms include foot cramps.
What's the treatment for dystonia? - Treatments for dystonia include medications, surgery, physical therapy, splinting, stress management. |
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