Stress may worsen dystonia and relaxation techniques can help somewhat.Ĭervical dystonia can often manifest for years without an accurate diagnosis, and unfortunately, patients suffer without proper treatment. For example, sitting in a chair with a high back, or leaning one’s head against the wall, can temporarily reduce discomfort from abnormal positioning. Patients often report that touching their head or face in a particular way can temporarily improve the position this is known as a geste antagoniste or sensory trick. Cervical dystonia can manifest as pain or discomfort. Sometimes they can improve their neck posture temporarily but often this is associated with neck pain or the sensation of straining their neck when trying to assume a normal position. Patients find that the abnormal positioning cannot be easily overcome.
Cervical dystonia, then, is the medical term for neck dystonia. The female “cervix” refers to the “neck” of the uterus (womb)- if you imagine the uterus to be the head, the cervix is its neck. The word cervical comes from the word cervix, which literally means “neck”. Because it is of neurological origin, from brain signals, it’s not the same as having a crick in one’s neck and won’t resolve with muscle massage or stretching. The word cervical in the term cervical dystonia should not be confused with the female reproductive organ, known as the cervix. After 12 long and agonizing years, she finally had a medical diagnosis and a treatment plan.Ĭervical dystonia refers to the abnormal posture of the muscles of the neck, resulting in a twisted, turned, flexed or extended neck position. This strained positioning is brought on by abnormal signals coming from the deep parts of the brain. Petrossian said, “Has anyone ever told you that you have cervical dystonia and that it’s treatable?” Ella burst into tears. Melita Petrossian, neurologist and medical director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center who was able to reassure Ella that her headache was benign and would resolve. Time passed and Ella needed to see a specialist for the evaluation of an unrelated headache. Fed up, she resigned herself to a limited quality of life and social embarrassment. She visited a number of specialists who were either unable to diagnose her symptoms, telling her to live with it, or misdiagnosing her condition and providing treatment options that were inappropriate and ineffective. Ella had been suffering from a tremor, which caused her head to move uncontrollably from side to side, adversely affecting her quality of life and impacting her work. Because many movement disorders show no abnormalities on blood testing or imaging, patients are often told that there is “nothing wrong” and that they should learn to “live with it.”
Many of our patients tell us that prior to being seen by us, their symptoms were dismissed by physicians or other providers.