Dystonia Specialist

What is dystonia?

Dystonia is a movement disorder that makes your muscles contract, causing uncontrollable movements.

Focal dystonia affects a single part of your body. Segmental dystonia affects two or more body parts next to each other. General dystonia affects the entire body. One of the more widespread forms is cervical dystonia in the neck.

Dystonia symptoms vary between patients. The muscle contractions might start in your neck, arm, or leg, then spread, but not always. Your contractions might affect a single activity, like writing, or many functions. Dystonia tends to get worse if you’re tired or stressed and as you age.

What causes dystonia?

You can inherit some forms of dystonia from your parents. Other causes aren’t entirely clear but could involve changes in the way nerves and cells communicate in your brain. Dystonia is also a symptom of conditions like:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Traumatic brain injury
• Huntington’s disease
• Stroke
• Wilson’s disease
• Birth injuries
• Brain tumors

In addition to the physical disabilities dystonia causes, patients often suffer from chronic (long-lasting) pain and fatigue caused by constant muscle contractions. You might also develop depression or anxiety and be reluctant to be around other people.

How is dystonia treated?

Treatments the Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain team recommends for dystonia include:

Botox injections

Your doctor injects medical Botox into specific areas to disrupt the messages between your nerves and muscles. A Botox injection can reduce or prevent unwanted muscle contractions for three to four months.

Trigger point injections

Trigger points are painful, knotted spots in your muscles. Trigger point injections contain a local anesthetic, steroid medication, or both. They relieve pain and reduce inflammation in your muscles.

Occipital nerve blocks

The occipital nerve serves the back and top of your head. A nerve block injection switches the nerve off temporarily, which can help with cervical dystonia. A medial branch block in your neck can also help.

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation heats the nerves, causing muscle spasms. The heat destroys the nerves so that they can’t send signals causing the muscles to contract.

Many medications are available that can help with dystonia symptoms. Your doctor selects the most effective treatments for you based on the kind of dystonia you have and your symptoms.

Call Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain today or book an appointment online to learn more about the advanced treatment of dystonia.