Definition:
Cervical dystonia is characterized by a painful condition wherein the muscles of the neck contract involuntarily. This causes the head to turn or twist to one side. Most often this condition causes the repetitive jerky motion of the head.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis for this disease includes an evaluation of the symptoms conducted by a brain specialist. Medical history is also assessed to determine if there have been any previous accounts of such disease in the family. Other diagnostic tests are also conducted such as urine and blood, and MRI and ECG.
Treatment:
Treatments for cervical dystonia include medications, stress management, botulinum toxin injections and surgery. Surgical options would usually include selective denervation surgery and deep brain stimulation.
Symptoms and Signs:
One of the major symptoms of cervical dystonia is the uncontrollable spasm of the neck that may even be quite painful. Other accompanying symptoms include the uneven shape of the head of the infant, limited range of motion, neck pain, tremor, headache, stiffness of the neck muscles and enlargement of muscles in the neck
Causes:
Cervical dystonia is brought about by the abnormally excessive input of the brain to the muscles which affects the electrical activity of the basal ganglia or the cerebral cortex.
