Think Neuro Mini: What is Cervical Dystonia? with Dr. Natalie Diaz

Think Neuro

Cervical dystonia (sometimes called neck dystonia) is the abnormal position of the muscles of the neck, causing a twisted, turned, flexed or extended neck position. Abnormal signals coming from the deep parts of the brain cause this condition and therefore it is not muscular in nature and will not resolve with muscle massage or stretching.

The mainstay of treatment of cervical dystonia is with injection of botulinum toxin, such as Botox or Xeomin. Botulinum toxin injections work by causing a disruption between the nerve and the muscle, thereby weakening the muscle that it is injected into. For cervical dystonia, because the muscles that are pulling or twisting the neck to one side are overactive, Botox works to calm those specific muscles down and allows for a more natural and neutral head position.