Posture and Alignment

Being aware of posture and body alignment are important for dystonia-affected and unaffected persons alike. Working with a therapist to find an optimal posture will help to reduce spasms, preserve range of motion, minimize potential injury, and reduce stresses on compensating regions of the body.

Trying to "reverse" the dystonia will not help. For instance, a person who has a case of cervical dystonia that pulls the head to the right should not stretch the neck over to the left to watch television or have a conversation. Fighting the contractions and postures may aggravate the dystonia.

Many people with dystonia develop movements or postures to compensate for the dystonic symptoms. For example, when rising from a chair, a person with cervical dystonia may rise in a way that makes the turning of the neck less obvious. This may involve leaning back and pushing up excessively on the armrests of the chair, rather than bending at the waist and pushing up with the legs. While this may temporarily prevent the head from turning, this movement may put added stress on the shoulders and neck and may ultimately aggravate the dystonia. By working to maintain a more beneficial alignment, one can minimize these potentially harmful compensatory movements.

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