Have you heard about a disease called Spasmodic Torticollis aka Dystonia?
Neither did I until one of my dear friends told me that she needed to go under surgery again and that she was struggling with the money to fight a war with her enemy: Spasmodic Torticollis.
I did some research and found out that Dystonia is a very common neurological movement disorder affecting more than 300.000 people in North America.

Then, I asked myself, why is ST still so unknown?

The answer is most people thinks that Spasmodic Torticollis is only a pain in the neck. Others think that ST and dystonia are the same disease.

Wrong!

The truth is ST (or cervical dystonia) is a form of dystonia and a painful condition in which the neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing the head to twist or turn to one side. Spasmodic Torticollis is a neurodegenerative disease and can occur at any time from birth to adulthood and it's more common in women.

The exact mechanism producing ST is still a mystery, though the most likely cause stems from abnormal electrical activity within nerves in the cerebral cortex or in the basal ganglia. There is no cure or any way to prevent this disorder, but early treatment may prevent the condition from becoming worse. If the pain become severe, trying to do all of the regular everyday things such as sitting, standing, walking, or eating become very difficult.

The treatment is performed with oral medication, Botulinum toxin injections and surgery.
Surgery is a last resort to consider when other treatments have failed. There are two surgical options:

- Selective denervation surgery: Where the goal is to interrupt the nerve pathways responsible for the abnormal neck movements by severing or removing nerves that control the affected muscle. This surgery carries serious risks.

- Deep brain stimulation: This is the way that my friend has undergone eight years ago. In this case the surgeon implants electrodes in the brain connected to a stimulating device in the chest that generates an electrical pulse. The device is activated by an external battery.

Let's spread the word hoping that the future can bring us a cure for that unfamiliar disease.

Sources:
www.wikipedia.com
www.mayoclinic.com
www.dystonia-foundation.org
www.torticollis.org.

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