Dystonia (Cervical)

Cervical dystonia is thought to be a neurological condition.

In this article:

What is cervical dystonia?

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Effect on your life

Treatment

How Chemist Online can help

Advice & Support

What is cervical dystonia?
Cervical dystonia is a condition which affects the behaviour of the neck muscles.
It is the most common form of dystonia and affects over 35,000 people in the UK.

Symptoms
The main symptoms of cervical dystonia are neck muscle contractions and spasms. This can lead to your head and neck:

twisting

shaking, and

being pulled backward, forward and/or side-to-side in an involuntary fashion

An associated symptom of cervical dystonia is neck pain.

Note: Some people with cervical dystonia develop depressive illness as a result of struggling to cope/come to terms with their condition, and also after surgery (if their condition is particularly severe and all other treatments proves unsuccessful, brain surgery may be recommended as a final option). Please see contact details for the Depression Alliance in the Advice & Support section at the foot of this article.

Causes
The involuntary and sustained muscle contractions and spasms which characterise cervical dystonia are thought to be caused by a problem with the sending of signals to muscles from the brain (the area of the brain involved in controlling movement is called the basal ganglia). The behaviour is thought to occur as a result of the following causes:

A previous course of medicine

An imbalance of a neurochemical called Dopamine

Trauma (both neurological and psychological/emotional)

Having a genetic predisposition to developing cervical dystonia. That is, you have a family history of it and the propensity to developing it is passed down. This is thought to occur only in rare cases.

Note: Cervical dystonia can often result from an underling health problem, such as: a brain injury, stroke or having tuberculosis.

Diagnosis
If you are suffering from the aforementioned symptoms, make an appointment to see your GP. After taking your medical history and asking you some questions about your symptoms, you will then be asked to have a urine or blood test (to check for the presence of toxins). You may also be referred to your local hospital for an MRI scan – to check for evidence of a stroke.

Where these tests prove inconclusive, you will be referred to a neurologist specialising in movement disorders.

Effect on your life
Many people with cervical dystonia feel self-conscious and also embarrassed about their symptoms when in the company of others. This is because the abnormal movements the muscle contractions and spasms cause.

Treatment
Despite worldwide medical research, as yet there is no cure for cervical dystonia. However, there are a range of treatments available which can help to reduce the severity of symptoms. As well as prescribed oral medications, treatments include:

Botulinum toxin injections – these can be effective in reducing the strength of muscle spasms which characterise dystonia.

Deep brain stimulation – where botulinum toxin injections prove unsuccessful in treating dystonia, deep brain stimulation may be recommended. This involves brain surgery where tiny electrodes are placed in drilled holes in your skull (in an attempt to block abnormal nerve impulses).

Surgery (only in rare cases) – where nerves responsible for controlling contracting muscles are severed or removed.

How Chemist Online can help
Many people with cervical dystonia suffer from neck and shoulder pain. Through this website we have a range of ‘over-the-counter’ painkilling treatments available to buy, including paracetamol and ibuprofen.


www.chemistonline.co.uk


Advice & Support
Depression Alliance
Tel: 0845 123 23 20
Website: www.depressionalliance.org


This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.






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