Dystonia

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Introduction Signs and symptoms Causes When to seek medical advice

Screening and diagnosis Complications Treatment

Introduction

In dystonia, muscles contract involuntarily — causing an uncontrollable twisting of the affected body part. Symptoms can be mild or severe, and often interfere with the performance of many day-to-day tasks.

Doctors divide dystonia into two broad categories, depending on the age of onset. If your symptoms begin in your youth, you could have a type of dystonia that's inherited and the symptoms may eventually affect the entire body.

Most cases of dystonia, however, occur in older individuals and tend to affect only one body part — often the neck, face or hand.

Dystonia is an uncommon disorder. The highest estimates place the proportion of people affected at less than 1 percent. Women seem to be more likely to develop dystonia than men are.

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Signs and symptoms