- Types of dystonias
- Focal Dystonia
- Segmental Dystonia
- Multifocal Dystonia
- Generalized Dystonia
- Hemidystonia
- Treatment for dystonia
Dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and uncontrollable spasms, which are often repetitive and can cause unusual, strange and painful postures.
Usually, muscular dystonia arises due to a brain problem in the nervous system, responsible for controlling muscle movement. This brain problem can be genetic or arise as a result of a disease or injury such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, blow to the head or encephalitis.
Dystonia has no cure, but muscle spasms can be controlled with treatment, which can be done with injections of botulinum toxin, known as botox, drugs, physiotherapy and surgery. See how botox works.
Types of dystonias
Dystonias can be classified as follows:
It affects only one region of the body, causing involuntary contractions and spasms in the affected muscles. Some examples are Cervical Dystonia, which affects the neck, causing symptoms such as involuntary tilting of the neck forward, backward or sideways, with pain and stiffness, or Blepharospasm that affects the eyelids, causing uncontrollable closing of the eyes.
It affects two or more regions of the body that are interconnected, as is the case of Oromandibular Dystonia, which affects the lower facial musculature, tongue or jaw, and can cause symptoms such as facial distortions, including grimaces and pursed lip, and the opening or closing of the jaw out and up repeatedly.
It affects two or more regions of the body, which are not interconnected, such as the left arm and the left leg, for example, causing involuntary muscle contractions in the affected muscle group.
It affects the trunk and at least two other parts of the body. It usually begins in childhood or adolescence and begins with involuntary contractions in one of the limbs, which then spread to other parts of the body, as in Torsion Dystonia, which begins in a foot or lower limb and then spreads through the body, and may cause difficulty walking.
An entire side of the body is affected, causing involuntary spasms and muscle stiffness on one side of the body.
There is also Neurovegetative Dystonia, which results from an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system and the neurovegetative system, which is responsible for involuntary actions such as heartbeat or digestion, for example.
Treatment for dystonia
Treatment for dystonia is always medically indicated and may involve the injection of botulinum toxin, also known as botox, into the affected muscles, the intake of drugs to control muscle spasms and, in some cases, surgery.
The treatment aims to control involuntary muscle contractions and, consequently, improve the patient's appearance and quality of life.
Read more about the various treatment options at: Treatment for dystonia.
