How Can Cervical Dystonia Be Assessed? - Dr. Shivam Mittal

Cervical dystonia is both a sensory and an integration disorder, meaning that the sensory
input can be impaired, and the integration of the sensory input with the motor input can
also be impaired. And, this mismatch of inputs can lead to involuntary muscle contractions,
resulting in shaking and trembling of body parts, and impaired postures.
Many sensory areas encounter such impairments. These could include vestibular,
proprioception, sensory perception, and sensory organization. These checks can be made
by following certain tests to assess cervical dystonia. These tests include vestibular testing,
sensory perception, subjective visual vertical, joint position error, and sensory
organization/balance/posture righting responses.
Next comes movement analysis, which is the heart of all physical therapy evaluations. This
analysis involves describing the position of the neck, shoulders, trunk, and pelvis – both at
rest and in movement. Where the impairment is seen the least and where it is seen the
most is analyzed. After making these stationary and moving assessments, manipulation
assessment is also done. This involves manipulating various factors like the environment,
posture, positioning, and speed, and then assessing the effect of a change in the sensory
input. For example, if the patient has a tilt while walking, a slight knee bend while walking
could eliminate the effects of cervical dystonia! In this way, millions of different
manipulations can be adapted to influence the posture, positioning, environment, and
speed to solve various kinds of problems related to cervical dystonia.
During the movement analysis, all kinds of muscle activities in every single position should
be taken note of, which will make apparent various kinds of muscle imbalances. Once this is
analyzed, it may become a difficult situation to find out if the muscle imbalance has
resulted in the development of dystonia, or whether it is the dystonia that has led to muscle

imbalance. While the decision to be made is difficult, it certainly needs to be made. There
could also be other predisposing factors like weakness, flexibility, neural tension, breathing
patterns, alignments, and other various factors. Addressing these potential factors can be of
high importance.
Weakness – imbalance
Flexibility – cervical muscle and joint flexibility
Neural tension – upper limb tension patterns
Breathing patterns – upper chest breathing and diaphragmatic breathing
Alignment – Pelvis, trunk, and head alignment while sitting, standing, and sleeping
Is also helpful to evaluate for activities that provide immediate improvements in a cervical
dystonia patient. If the patient is limited by a sensory or sensory integration abnormality,
these ideas can be helpful – placing the arm over the head, change in posture, vibration on
overactive muscles, Kinesiotaping, etc.
There’s that! With such cervical dystonia assessment, the underlying problem can be
analyzed much quicker and better. If you see any symptoms of involuntary shaking and
trembling of your body parts, you can get in touch with Dr. Shivam Mittal, who is one of the
most reliable and expert professional offering dystonia treatment in Bangalore. You can
rest assured to be analyzed and prescribed the right kind of medication and therapies here.
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