Living with Spasmodic Torticollis

What is spasmodic torticollis?

Spasmodic torticollis (ST) is characterized by contractions of the neck muscles that control the movement and position of the head. ST is also referred to its shortened name "torticollis", and also "cervical dystonia". ST is caused by a dysfunction in the brain, which causes the head to be pulled backward or to the one side. In many patients, with ST, their heads lie on or near the shoulder. Spasmodic torticollis is very painful and the patient may have tremors of the head and shoulders. The shoulders of the patient may be uneven due to the muscle contractions.

Spasmodic torticollis is not curable and may mimic other disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and muscular dystrophy. The severity of ST is different from person to person, in which the symptoms may be slight or severe to the point of being disabling.

What are the signs and symptoms of spasmodic torticollis?

Spasmodic torticollis presents more commonly in females than in males, and the cause of the disease is unknown. Approximately 5 percent of the patients report having a relative with ST, which indicates there is evidence of a genetic link in a few cases. Family and friends are usually the first ones to notice the symptoms, even before the patient knows there is a problem, because the symptoms are slow to appear. In spasmodic torticollis, the patient appears to have her/his head on crooked, for lack of a better description. The patient may be asked "why is your head leaning to one side?" When the patient tries to straighten her/his neck there will be pain associated on the side where the muscle is contracted.

Spasmodic torticollis comes in three types:

1)
Tonic-the head is turned or leans to one side or is pulled backward.
2)
Clonic-this type involves shaking of the head, and also possibly tremors of the shoulders and arms.
3)
Mixed-this type involves shaking and turning or leaning of the head.

Note: the position of the head (referring to tonic torticollis) may fall into one of four different categories.