31 May All You Want To Know About Cervical Dystonia
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 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 UAE.
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 UAE, where patients are first diagnosed well, only after which it is decided what type of treatment is required – oral medications, injections, or surgery.
