Dystonia – Are There Any Treatment Options?

The uncontrollable involuntary contractions and tremors caused during dystonia can be really frustrating, and may also interfere with the quality of life, by making it difficult to perform even the simplest of tasks like eating, dressing up, typing, or even walking. Those living with it can understand the pain, which is why it is recommended to identify the symptoms at the earliest and treat them, before they start interfering with your everyday tasks.

What is dystonia?

Dystonia causes the muscles to contract involuntarily, leading to uncontrolled repetitive twisting motions in one or more parts of the body. Muscle spasms can be mild or severe, depending upon the individual and his health condition. Why it occurs is yet unknown, but the cause behind it is the miscommunication between the nerve cells of the brain. While any person could suffer from dystonia, those who have the disorder running in the family are more at risk to have it. Also, those who suffer from other disorders like Parkinson’s disease or traumatic brain injury are more prone to have dystonia in the future.

How to identify dystonia?

If you are encountering any such uncontrolled involuntary movements, you may be a patient of dystonia. The initial symptoms could be first observed in the arms, legs, or neck. The symptoms may first be seen occasionally while performing only certain tasks, but if left untreated, they may worsen to occur almost throughout the day. Also, the symptoms may worsen when you’re tired, anxious, or stressed out.

Can dystonia be treated?

Although there is no permanent cure for dystonia, because the reason for the disorder is yet not known, there are treatment options available that can help manage and control the symptoms. This treatment includes:

1. Medications: When the dystonia is mild, the medications can be started to look for any relief such as trihexyphenidyl (Artane), Baclofen, clonazepam and other. Usually these medications help to some degree but does not provide significant improvement. At higher doses, patients experience side-effects with the medications which limits their use in clinical practice.
2. Botulinum toxin injections or BOTOX injections or Chemodenervation treatment: This is the best treatment which is available for dystonia presently. If the symptoms are limited to one region such as the neck or hand or leg, then botulinum toxin injections in the muscle helps to relax it and improve the dystonia. Again the injections needs to be performed by a movement disorder neurologist who is trained in identifying the muscle using the EMG machine and is experienced with the botulinum toxin injections. The effect of botox in temporary and usually works for 3 months. The effect can last longer or shorter in few patients.
3. Deep Brain Stimulation: In patients who have genetic dystonia which is involving the entire body or generalized dystonia, Deep brain stimulation is a very effective treatment. This is an invasive surgery that requires the implantation of a neurotransmitter within the chest, and electrodes into the brain, both connected with the help of extension wires. The battery-powered neurotransmitter emits electrical charges of energy to the brain to control the involuntary movements. This is provided by selective centers in the world who have the expertise of movement disorder neurologist, functional neurosurgeon and multi-disciplinary team. You need to have regular follow-up with the movement disorder neurologist for the DBS programming to further optimize the dystonia symptoms.

When you approach a specialist like Dr. Shivam Mittal for dystonia treatment in UAE, your symptoms will first be diagnosed. Then, a variety of tests will be conducted to identify abnormalities in the brain that may be causing the symptoms. These may include MRI, CT scan, or PET scan. Only once your condition is confirmed to be of dystonia, will you be given the required medications or surgery.

For more information, visit: https://www.parkinsonsdiseasespecialist.com/