Dystonia
Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes the muscles to contract involuntarily. This can cause repetitive or twisting movements.
The condition can affect one part of your body (focal dystonia), two or more adjacent parts (segmental dystonia), or all parts of your body (general dystonia). The muscle spasms can range from mild to severe. They may be painful, and they can interfere with your performance of daily tasks.
There’s no cure for dystonia, but medications and therapy can improve symptoms. Surgery is sometimes used to disable or regulate nerves or certain brain regions in people with severe dystonia.
Dystonia is the third most prevalent movement disorder, affecting approximately 500,000 adults and children in North America.
After Parkinson, dystonia is the most common movement disorder encountered in movement disorder clinics.
Unfortunately, little research has been done to find the cause or treatments for this condition and very few people have heard of it. Most medications used, where not designed for this condition. There are no guaranteed treatments.Most adults are diagnosed with idiopathic, or psychosomatic form of dystonia automatically.
Most patients will be diagnosed with very few, if any test performed to rule out any other conditions. People with dystonia have an increased risk of anxiety and depressive disorders. However, it is unclear if the conditions are caused by dystonia or societal stigma. In this story I will talk about three different people, Who suffer from symptoms of dystonia and how this condition and diagnosis affects their lives.
You will read about discrimination, in multiple settings, mental disorders, and medical conditions that may or may not be linked to the condition. I write this in hopes that people will become more understanding of the disorder. I also hope that someday more research will be done to determine the actual cause.
