All You Should Know About Dystonia - Dr. Shivam Mittal

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What is dystonia? Dystonia is a condition that
is characterized by continuous or irregular
muscle contractions that results in abnormal
involuntary repetitive movements and postures.
The movements are generally patterned. Dystonia
may be initiated or worsened by voluntary
movements, and may slowly and gradually overflow
into the surrounding muscles if the condition
becomes intense.

• Where can dystonia occur in the body?
• Dystonia can occur in a variety of locations
  within the body, depending upon which it is
  classified into various types, as under.
• Focal dystonia This type of dystonia appears in
  only a single place, like in the eyes or neck,
  named as blepharospam and torticolis
  respectively.
• Multi focal dystonia This type of dystonia
  ppears in two places simultaneously for
  example, in the neck and tongue.
• Generalized dystonia This type of dystonia
  occurs throughout the body, thus becoming an
  ailment affecting generally all the body parts.

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• Hemi dystonia This type of dystonia is seen in
  only one side of the body for example, in the
  right hand and right leg.
• Task specific dystonia This type of dystonia is
  seen to be active only when the patient is
  performing a specific activity like writing, or
  playing an instrument.
• Drug induced dystonia This type of dystonia can
  become active because of certain drugs that the
  patient intakes. It can further be classified as
  acute and tardive with acute dystonia being one
  that shows immediate results within few days of
  taking the medicine, and tardive dystonia being
  one that is delayed in appearance.
• Who can diagnose and treat dystonia?
• While you may think that dystonia is an ailment
  of the nervous system and a neurologist should
  be the best choice, dystonia is in fact diagnosed
  and treated better by a movement disorder
  specialist. This specialist is one who has
  completed his neurology education with a further
  1 or 2 year education and training in movement
  disorders. They are typically more up-to-date
  with research on the subject, and are able to
  focus on a small subset of neurological
  conditions. This is why they can offer the most
  effective treatment option for dystonia and
  other movement disorders. Dr. Shivam Mittal is
  one such movement disorder specialist who is
  completely trusted upon to provide the best
  dystonia treatment in Bangalore.
• How can dystonia be treated?
• Oral medications There are a variety of oral
  medications that can help treat the initial
  stages of dystonia. These include
  trihexyphenidyl, diazepam, and clonazepam.
• Drug injections Botox is the best choice for
  treating focal and multi focal dystonias like
  blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, upper and lower
  limb dystonia, and laryngeal dystonia.
• Surgery Deep Brain Stimulation is a surgery
  adopted for patients suffering from generalized
  dystonia, or those whose dystonia cannot be
  controlled by medications and injections. This
  involves implantation of electrodes into the
  brain and a neurotransmitter into the chest
  area, which are connected to stop muscle
  contractions.
• Therapies Therapies are not individual remedies
  for dystonia, but they help in increasing the
  efficacy of approaches like medications,
  injections, and surgeries.

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• Lifestyle changes Changing your lifestyle can
  also help provide support for your remedies to
  help you recover faster and better. First and
  foremost, you need to eliminate all forms of
  stress from your life, including physical stress,
  emotional stress, lack of sleep, and fatigue.
  Additionally, you need to stick to a regular
  sleep/wake schedule, exercise regularly, eat
  healthy food, and stay hydrated.
• Now that you know all about dystonia, you will be
  in a better position to overcome the anxiety and
  trouble associated with the ailment. So, all the
  best for recovering from your disease! Just stay
  positive and follow the instructions given by
  your movement disorder specialist.
• For more information, visit http//www.parkinsons
  diseasespecialist.com/