Cervical dystonia (say: serv-ical dis-tone-ee-a) is a condition
in which the muscles in the neck contract, twisting the head to
one side and pulling the chin to the shoulder. Sometimes the
shoulder on the affected side will also be pulled up toward the
head. Less often, it can cause the head to be pulled down with
the ear toward the shoulder, back or forward. Cervical dystonia
is also called spasmodic torticollis. It can be a painful and
uncomfortable condition that may begin slowly, grow more severe
and may eventually level off. Funding and support for this
material have been provided by Allergan. Along with the
contraction (shortening) of neck muscles, symptoms of cervical
dystonia include: Cervical dystonia may run in families. Women
are more likely than men to have this condition. Cervical
dystonia usually affects people between 40 and 60 years of age.
Cervical dystonia may be caused by a problem in the basal
ganglia. The basal ganglia are the part of the brain that send
out messages to start muscle movem