The Complete Guide to Dystonia - Dr. Shivam Mittal

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Dystonia is a condition causing muscle
contractions, which further causes abnormal
repetitive movements and postures. These symptoms
resemble a tremor and are worsened by voluntary
movements. This is one of the most common
movement disorders seen, but many people are
unknown about it. So, here is a complete guide to
help you understand dystonia in detail, so that
you can act accordingly and immediately as soon
as you witness the symptoms may it be in
yourself or someone around you.
WHAT IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF DYSTONIA? Dystonia
could be inherited through the genes of the
parents. Anyone having dystonia in the family
can bring the ailment into the younger
generations too. However, which genes
particularly cause this ailment is not yet known
and research is being conducted on the same.
Because it is an ailment that comes from the
genes, there is not much that you can do about
it, but doctors still advice to take care of your
genes by eating properly, exercising regularly,
avoiding toxins, and managing stress so that you
live in a healthy environment, and are less
likely to be hit by such ailments. WHAT ARE THE
VARIOUS TYPES OF DYSTONIA? Dystonia can attack
various parts of the body, according to which
they are identified to be of various types
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Focal dystonia When dystonia attacks a
particular part of the body like the neck or eye,
it is known as focal dystonia. The most common
types of focal dystonia include cervical
torticollis in the neck and blepharospasm in the
eye. Multi-focal dystonia As the name
suggests, multi-focal dystonia appears in more
than one place for example, in the tongue and
neck together. Generalized dystonia
Generalized dystonia is the dystonia that attacks
the entire body. Hemidystonia Hemi, meaning
half, this dystonia affects half of the body. It
could be your entire left side or entire right
side. Drug induced dystonia Unusual but true,
certain kinds of dystonia can be caused by
drugs. These can be categorized into two types
acute and tardive. Acute dystonia is when it
appears after taking a new medication within only
a few days, while tardive dystonia is seen to be
delayed in appearance after taking a new
drug. WHO SHOULD BE APPROACHED TO TREAT
DYSTONIA? While neurologists treat every ailment
related to the nerves within the body, it is a
movement orders specialist who deals with certain
severe conditions like dystonia. These
specialists, apart from neurology, are also
trained in additional 1 or 2-year courses of
movement disorders thus making them more
suitable to approach for such conditions. With
detailed education and more updated with the
research about these special conditions, they
can offer more effective treatment options. HOW
CAN DYSTONIA BE TREATED? There are three ways to
treat dystonia through oral medications,
injections, or surgery. Depending on your
condition and the severity of your ailment, the
treatment option will be decided upon by your
specialist. Oral medication The medication
that can cure dystonia includes I-dopa,
trihexyphenidyl, diazepam, and
clonazepam. Injection The most common method
used to treat dystonia is Botox, which involves
injecting the nerves with botulinum toxin that
relaxes the muscles. However, the effect is only
seen for a few months. So, you will need this
injection every 3-6 months. This treatment can
cure blepharospasm (eye spasms), cervical
dystonia (neck), upper and lower limb dystonia,
and laryngeal dystonia (voice box). Surgery
The surgery used in known as Deep Brain
Stimulation, wherein two electrodes are inserted
into the brain, which is connected to a
stimulating device in the chest.
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Dr. Shivam Mittal is an expert in dystonia
treatment in Bangalore, who has immense
experience and skill to treat the ailment
successfully in both children and adults through
all of the above options. WHAT CAN WORSEN
DYSTONIA? There are certain things that can
worsen your condition. These include physical
stress, emotional stress, lack of sleep,
dehydration, and fatigue. So, make sure you stick
to a good sleeping schedule, stay hydrated,
exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, and
eliminate stress if you have dystonia or your
condition could be highly worsened! Stay social
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