Dystonia

Dystonia is a movement disorder in which a person’s muscles contract uncontrollably. The contraction causes the affected body part to twist involuntarily, resulting in repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Dystonia can affect one muscle, a muscle group, or the entire body.

Is Dystonia fatal? In the overwhelming majority of people with Dystonia, it does not shorten life expectancy or result in death. … Dystonia does occur as a symptom of many degenerative disease, some of which do impact mortality, but the Dystonia itself does not shorten life span.Curled, clenched toes or a painful cramped foot are telltale signs of dystonia. Dystonia is a sustained or repetitive muscle twisting, spasm or cramp that can occur at different times of day and in different stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD). For example, Dystonia is a common early symptom of young-onset Parkinson’s.

For most people, dystonia develops over a period of a few months, or sometimes a few years. It does not usually continue to get worse. In some people, Dystonia may spread from one body area to another, or other problems may develop.Dystonia has no cure, but you can do a number of things to minimize its effects: Sensory tricks to reduce spasms.Some causes of acquired Dystonia include birth injury (including hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the brain, and neonatal brain hemorrhage), certain infections, reactions to certain drugs, heavy metal or carbon monoxide poisoning, trauma, or stroke.

Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder syndrome in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often intensified or exacerbated by physical activity, and symptoms may progress into adjacent muscles.

The disorder may be hereditary or caused by other factors such as birth-related or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning (e.g., lead poisoning) or reaction to pharmaceutical drugs, particularly neuroleptics, or stress. Treatment must be highly customized to the needs of the individual and may include oral medications, chemodenervation botulinum neurotoxin injections, physical therapy, or other supportive therapies, and surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation.