Cervical Dystonia in Adults

Statistics

  • Most common form of focal dystonia1
  • Estimated to affect more than 90,000
    people in the United States in 20071
  • Misdiagnoses may include tremor,
    Parkinson’s disease, tics, chorea,
    psychogenic movement disorder,
    headache, and scoliosis2

Symptoms3

  • Head and neck turning, tilting, or jerking
  • Head and neck shaking (spasms)
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Neck and shoulder stiffness
Unlike other forms of focal dystonia, pain
is often a prominent symptom1

Types of Head Movement

  • Torticollis and laterocollis, or a combination of these two, are the most common manifestation3
  • Head tremor3
blue background Head tilts forward (anterocollis)

Anterocollis

blue background Head tilts backward (retrocollis)

Retrocollis

blue background Head turns to the side (rotational torticollis)

Rotational torticollis

blue background Head tilts to the side (laterocollis)

Laterocollis

Symptom Stabilization

  • Stabilization of symptoms is common but can take several years4
  • Remission has been reported in 10% to 23% of patients4
  • Progression to segmental dystonia occurs in up to 20% of patients4

Jan’s Story: How XEOMIN Treatment Helped Me

Jan's story: cervical dystonia video thumbnail
"I am getting relief! My head isn’t pulling to the right as often, the muscles in my neck don’t feel as tight and painful, and my doctor has noticed a positive change as well."
—Jan, an adult with cervical dystonia treated with XEOMIN

Individual results may vary.

Jan, patient with cervical dystonia.

After being diagnosed with cervical dystonia, my life was turned upside down. I felt like a freak and so self-conscious and uncomfortable. My doctor made me feel like it was all in my head or psychosomatic, so I went on for several years struggling with it on my own.

That was until I discovered XEOMIN. Before XEOMIN, I tried surgical options, nerve surgeries. They helped for a while, but when my symptoms started returning, it was time to do something else. I was the one who mentioned XEOMIN to my neurologist. He said, "Sure, we will give it a try."

After the first set of injections, XEOMIN started to help. Without XEOMIN, I would be extremely uncomfortable, and my head would be falling down toward my shoulder. When I am on treatment with XEOMIN, I have some relief from the pain and tension and can focus more on other things in life that I enjoy. I feel it is important to share my story so people know that they are not alone. After all, we are all in this together.

Every patient's experience with XEOMIN will vary, and there are potential risks and side effects with XEOMIN. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if XEOMIN is right for you.

My head turned purely to the right; I had a lot of trouble bringing it back to center and a horrible time bringing it to the left. So, my life was turned upside down. I was so self-conscious and uncomfortable that I ended up having to leave my job. I would date and be teased about it. It really destroyed my self-esteem. I felt like a freak; it was so obvious. And it also started to restrict me. There was no way I could ride a bike, read, walk, drive, or eat without it being extremely difficult.

I was sort of fortunate in that I didn't have excruciating pain, but it is the pulling feeling and twisting motion that you're constantly fighting. It becomes exhausting, and after a while, you pretty much just have an ache all the time. Even if I were to let my head go where it wanted to go, it was still such an abnormal position. Being in that abnormal position long enough, you're going to be really uncomfortable.

Michelle’s Story: How XEOMIN Treatment Helped Me

Michelle is another patient with cervical dystonia. Watch her story, and find out how XEOMIN fit into her treatment plan.

Michelle's story: cervical dystonia video thumbnail

References

  1. Dashtipour K, Lew M. Cervical dystonia. In: Stacy MA, ed. Handbook of Dystonia. 1st ed. New York, NY: Informa Healthcare; 2007:137-154.
  2. Tarsy D. Dystonia. In: Adler CH, Ahlskog JE, eds. Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for the Practicing Physician. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2000:297-311.
  3. Lalli S, Albanese A. The diagnostic challenge of primary dystonia: evidence from misdiagnosis. Mov Disord. 2010;25(11):1619-1626.
  4. Jankovic J. Treatment of cervical dystonia. In: Brin MF, Comella C, Jankovic J, eds. Dystonia: Etiology, Clinical Features, and Treatment. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004:159-166.