All You Want To Know About Cervical Dystonia - Dr. Shivam Mittal

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Movement disorders are those that show
uncontrolled movements in the body parts like
shaking of the hands/legs, movement of the
jaws/head, involuntary sounds from the mouth,
etc. The cause for all of this is unknown.
Moreover, there is no abnormality seen when
blood tests or imaging tests are performed on
patients suffering from such movement
disorders. This is why many physicians or other
doctors dismiss any such complaints from
patients, which is why a specialist must be
approached when any such symptoms are seen.
One certain type of disorder commonly seen in
movement disorders patients is cervical
dystonia, which is the abnormal posture of the
muscles of the neck, which results in a twisted,
turned, flexed, or extended neck position causing
strain. This ailment cannot be cured by muscle
massages or stretching exercises as it is of a
neurological origin, with abnormal signals
coming from the deep parts of the brain. But, it
can temporarily be dealt with by sitting in a
chair with a high back, or leaning the head
against a wall. Generally, patients go for years
together without an accurate diagnosis of
cervical dystonia! It can take up to 7 years
from symptom onset to diagnose the ailment. This
is because such symptoms are initially thought
of as muscle pains which could be caused by a
muscle pull, wrong sleeping position, or a
slipped disc. This lack of recognition of the
issue becomes frustrating for the patients. This
is why if any such symptoms are seen, it is
always better to
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approach a specialist like Dr. Shivam Mittal, who
has immense skill and experience to diagnose the
ailment, and provide the best kind of dystonia
treatment in Bangalore. Cervical dystonia can be
temporarily cured by injecting the patient with
botulinum toxin or Botox in the over-active neck
muscles to cause a block of communication between
the nerve and muscle. In this way, Botox calms
down the muscles that cause pulling and
twisting, resulting in a neutral head position.
However, the effect of this injection is seen
only for a few months, which is why patients will
need to be injected with this toxin every 3-6
months. The entire one time procedure takes
around 20-30 minutes. And, the side effects of
this toxin are very rare, but could be anything
from neck weakness, neck pain, swallowing
difficulty, and slurred speech. However, these
side effects will resolve within a few
days. Oral medications are also given as an
additional pain reliever and controller. These
medications include benzodiazepines such as
clonazepam, anticholinergics such as
trihexiphenidyl, and muscle relaxants such as
baclofen. But, these medications can cause side
effects like dizziness, sleepiness, imbalance,
dry mouth, nausea, constipation, and urinary
retention which is why they are avoided as much
as possible. Another option for treating cervical
dystonia is a surgery called Deep Brain
Stimulation, which involves installing a
pacemaker into the chest area, and two electrodes
into the deep part of the brain. With signals
travelling from the pacemaker to the electrodes,
the involuntary movements are controlled,
providing relaxation to the patients for several
months. While you may think such installations
may be risky, but this surgery is a relatively
safe procedure, with very low rates of
complications or infections. If you or your loved
one is suffering from this frustrating ailment,
get in touch with Dr. Shivam Mittal for an
effective Dystonia treatment in Bangalore, where
patients are first diagnosed well, only after
which it is, decided what type of treatment is
required oral medications, injections, or
surgery. For more information, visit
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