Dystonia
Dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder. People living with it experience involuntary muscle spasms and contractions.
Movements are often repetitive and cause unusual, awkward, and sometimes painful postures. Tremor (shaking) is often linked with some types of dystonia.
Dystonia can occur on its own (primary dystonia), or a person may experience it as a symptom of another condition (secondary dystonia).
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Causes
Dystonia is thought to happen because of a problem in the part of the brain that controls movement. Doctors usually describe it as either primary or secondary dystonia, and the two tend to have different underlying causes.
Causes of primary dystonia
Primary dystonia often starts in childhood, and in this type there is more likely to be a clear genetic cause.
Causes of secondary dystonia
Sometimes dystonia shows up as a symptom of another underlying condition. Secondary dystonia can be caused by things like:
- Parkinson's disease
- cerebral palsy
- certain medications (such as some antipsychotics and some anti-sickness medicines)
- an injury to the brain
- stroke
Diagnosis
If your GP thinks you may have dystonia, they can refer you to a specialist neurologist. You may need some tests to find out whether it's primary or secondary dystonia, and depending on your symptoms, this could mean a blood test or a scan.
Treatment
Treating dystonia
There are treatments that can control the involuntary movements and spasms of dystonia.
You might need to try several treatment options to find out which one works best.
Botulinum toxin
If you have focal dystonia, you might be offered botulinum toxin.
Botulinum toxin is injected into the affected muscles. It blocks the neurotransmitters within the nerve, reducing muscle spasms.
The effects of the injection can last from around 3 months to 6 months.
Medication
Oral medications, like tablets, can be effective for some people with generalised dystonia.
The following are medications which might be used to treat dystonia:
- anticholinergics
- baclofen
- muscle relaxants
Physiotherapy
Depending on the type of dystonia you have, physiotherapy might help you improve your range of movement.
Surgery
You might have surgery if your dystonia symptoms don’t improve with other treatments.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a type of brain surgery. It’s offered to some people with dystonia where other treatments haven’t been successful.
The surgeon will place a small device, like a pacemaker, under the skin of your chest or tummy.
The device sends electrical signals along wires placed in the part of the brain that controls movement.
It’ll be several weeks or months before you begin to feel the benefit of DBS.
Read more about deep brain stimulation
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