WHAT IS DYSTONIA?

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes the muscles in the body to contract or spasm involuntarily. It is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson's Disease and Tremor, affecting more than 300,00 people in North America. These painful muscle contractions force the body into twisting, repetitive movements and abnormal positions and postures. These muscle contractions force the arms, legs, torso, neck, and face into abnormal positions and movements that can get in the way of walking, sitting, using a pencil, or a fork, and sometimes speaking. There are several kinds of dystonia that may affect adults and children of all backgrounds. Sometimes people with diseases like cerebral palsy and mutiple sclerosis also have dystonia.