There are lots of different medical and technical terms used to describe dystonia and our healthcare systems.

Find out the meaning to some of the common terms that might be used below:

A

• Acquired or Secondary dystonia - Dystonia that appears to have a specific cause such as drug reaction, brain injury, or as a symptom of another neurological or metabolic disorder
• AHP - stands for allied health professional, a diverse part of the NHS workforce and include physiotherapists, speech & language therapists and occupational therapists
• Antecollis - dystonia of the neck resulting in excessive forward flexion

B

• Basal ganglia - a part of the brain which helps to control movement 
• Blepharospasm – eye dystonia
• Botulinum Toxin - a natural toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum that is used to manage dystonia symptoms

C

• Cervical dystonia – neck dystonia
• Chromosome - long pieces of DNA
• Clinic - a place in which outpatients are given medical treatment or advice, often connected to a hospital

D

• DBS - stands for deep brain stimulation surgery, a type of brain surgery used to manage dystonia symptoms
• Degenerative dystonia - a type of dystonia associated with neurodegeneration
• Dopa-responsive dystonia - a type of dystonia caused by low dopamine levels
• DNA - stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid, contains all the genetic instructions required for development and function
• Dyskinesia - involuntary, erratic, writhing movements

F

• Focal dystonia - dystonia that affects one part of the body
• Functional - not caused by changes in the basic wiring of the brain but by a malfunction of how people can control and access their body normally

G

• Generalised dystonia - dystonia that affects most or all of the body
• Genes - hold the information to build and maintain cells and pass genetic traits onto children
• Genetic disorder - a disorder that is caused by an abnormality in an individual's DNA

H

• Hemidystonia – dystonia that affects one side of the body
• Hereditary - is the passing of traits (hair colour, skin colour, dystonia etc) to offspring (from its parent or ancestors)

I

• Idiopathic – dystonia with no known or clear cause
• Isolated or Primary dystonia - dystonia is the only neurological symptom a person appears to have

L

• Laterocollis - dystonia of the neck resulting in excessive sideways flexion
• Laryngeal dystonia - voice dystonia

M

• Meige syndrome – when blepharospasm is experienced together with mouth, jaw or tongue dystonia
• Movement disorder - conditions that affect your muscles and the way you move
• Multifocal dystonia - dystonia that affects two or more unrelated parts of the body
• Mutated Gene - a gene that has changed its DNA, so that the normal transmission and expression of a trait is affected
• Myoclonus - brief 'lightning-like' jerks

N

• Neurologist - a medical doctor who specialises in treating diseases of the nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord
• Neurology - a branch of medicine focused on diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and muscles
• NHS - national health service

O

• Ophthalmologist – a specialist in ophthalmology, a branch of medicine and surgery which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders
• Oromandibular dystonia - dystonia that affects the mouth, jaw or tongue

P

• Paroxysmal - is only visible during episodes
• Primary care - primary care services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system, this includes your GP

R

• Retrocollis - dystonia of the neck resulting in excessive backward flexion

S

• Secondary Care - secondary care services provide specialist medical services and are typically delivered in hospitals or clinics for conditions needing more focused expertise
• Segmental dystonia - dystonia that affects two or more adjacent parts of the body
• Spasm - a sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement
• Spasmodic torticollis - neck dystonia
• Specialist nurse - an expert nurse with a background in a particular area
• Status dystonicus - a dystonic storm, frequent and intense periods of severe generalised dystonia - they are a medical emergency that require urgent hospital care

T

• Tardive - developing slowly
• Task-specific dystonia - a dystonia linked to repeated and prolonged overuse of specific muscles
• Tertiary Care - tertiary care services provide highly specialised, complex treatment for rare or severe conditions and are typically delivered in large regional hospitals or specialist centres