Dystonia Won't Control My Life Have you ever wondered what life would be like with an uncontrollable muscle spasm? How would it change your life? One type of muscle spasm is called dystonia, which causes a contraction with a group of muscles moving involuntarily. Understanding what dystonia is can help the victim and everyone who knows them. People with dystonia are different from people without dystonia because they are sometimes unable to perform the same physical activities. For example, a "normal" person may drive a car, a person with spasmodic torticollis, a form of dystonia that affects the neck and shoulders, may have dystonia so severe that they cannot look at the road long enough to control the car. Who does dystonia affect? ​​Approximately half a million people suffer from dystonia in the United States (O'Connor). It is estimated that 6% of people with Dystonia have received an accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment (Wallace). Dystonia is a term for a group of neurological disorders that cause prolonged involuntary muscle spasms in one or more parts of the body (Fact Sheet). Dystonia is suspected to be a defect in the body's ability to process a particular group of chemicals that help transmit nerve impulses (Bair). Dystonia causes painful muscle contractions and can affect the eyes, face, neck, voice and limbs (dystonia). It is the second most common movement disorder after Parkinson's (dystonia). Treatments Dystonia is treated with the most potent nerve poison known, botulinum toxin (dystonia). BOTOX (botulinum toxin) is a purified neutrotoxin complex, a purified form of the toxin from the bacterium Clostridium botulium (fact sheet). This treatment is available for forms of dystonia that affect the muscles of the face and eyelids (Fact Sheet). This treatment is used by 5,000 patients (fact sheet). While there is no cure, treatments relieve some of the pain and reduce some of the excessive motor activity (Wallace). Types of Dystonia Spasmodic torticollis or ST is a type of dystonia that can affect the muscles of the neck and shoulders. TS is the most common form of dystonia, affecting approximately 83,000 people. About three in 10,000 people are affected by ST (Wallace). Patients' necks may turn or muscles may involuntarily tighten and tense, especially when they are tired (Bair). Another type of dystonia is blepharospasm when the eyelids, jaws, lips, or tongue are involved..