The dystonias are movement disorders in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The movements, which are involuntary and sometimes painful, may affect a single muscle; a group of muscles such as those in the arms, legs, or neck; or the entire body. Early symptoms may include deterioration in handwriting, foot cramps, or a dragging foot after running or walking some distance. Other possible symptoms are tremor and voice or speech difficulties. About half the cases of dystonia have no connection to disease or injury and are called primary or idiopathic dystonia. Of the primary dystonias, many cases appear to be inherited. Dystonias can also be symptoms of other diseases, some of which may be hereditary. In some individuals, symptoms of a dystonia appear in childhood. For other individuals, the symptoms emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood.
No one treatment has been found to be universally effective. Instead, doctors use a variety of therapies (medications, surgery,
and other treatments such as physical therapy, splinting, stress management, and biofeedback) aimed at reducing or eliminating
muscle spasms and pain. Since response to drugs varies among individuals and even in the same person over time, the most effective
therapy is often individualized.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts research related to dystonia in its laboratories
at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and also supports additional dystonia research through grants to major medical
institutions across the country. Investigators believe that the dystonias result from an abnormality in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia, where
some of the messages that initiate muscle contractions are processed. Scientists at the NINDS laboratories have conducted
detailed investigations of the pattern of muscle activity in persons with dystonias. Studies using EEG analysis and neuroimaging
are probing brain activity. The search for the gene or genes responsible for some forms of dominantly inherited dystonias
continues.
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation 1 East Wacker Drive Suite 2810 Chicago, IL 60601-1905 dystonia@dystonia-foundation.org http://www.dystonia-foundation.org Tel: 312-755-0198 Fax: 312-803-0138 |
National Spasmodic Torticollis Association 9920 Talbert Avenue Fountain Valley, CA 92708 NSTAmail@aol.com http://www.torticollis.org Tel: 714-378-9837 800-HURTFUL (487-8385) |
WE MOVE (Worldwide Education & Awareness for Movement Disorders) 204 West 84th Street New York, NY 10024 wemove@wemove.org http://www.wemove.org Tel: 212-875-8312 Fax: 212-875-8389 |
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(ASHA) 2200 Research Boulevard Rockville, MD 20850 actioncenter@asha.org http://www.asha.org Tel: 800-638-8255 Fax: 301-571-0457 |
Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation 637 North 7th Street Suite 102 P.O. Box 12468 Beaumont, TX 77726-2468 bebrf@blepharospasm.org http://www.blepharospasm.org Tel: 409-832-0788 Fax: 409-832-0890 |
Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation Mt. Sinai Medical Center One Gustave L. Levy Place P.O. Box 1490 New York, NY 10029 Bachmann.Strauss@mssm.edu http://www.dystonia-parkinsons.org Tel: 212-682-9900 Fax: 212-987-0662 |
Spasmodic Torticollis Dystonia/ST Dystonia P.O. Box 28 Mukwonago, WI 53149 info@spasmodictorticollis.org http://www.spasmodictorticollis.org Tel: 262-560-9534 888-445-4588 Fax: 262-560-9535 |
Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.
All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.
Last updated December 04, 2008