Cervical dystonia: current rehabilitation strategies and methods

Idiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) is a movement disorder that is characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing often repetitive movements, fixed postures, or both. This is the most common form of focal dystonia. The lack of highly effective rehabilitation in CD can substantially increase the number of disabled people and/or lead to a significant decrease in the working capacity of young patients. Despite the high social significance of the problem, there are currently insufficient studies of the use of medical and physical rehabilitation methods for CD. Taking into account the complexity, multicomponent pattern, and clinical diversity of CD manifestations, these patients require multidisciplinary treatment and rehabilitation approaches to achieve maximum results. This review discusses rehabilitation strategies and methods in CD, which are based on the modern understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease. As a supplement to botulinum toxin therapy, a multimodal physiotherapy program, kinesio taping, and special and general strengthening physical exercises are considered, which can assist in correcting the posture, reducing the severity of pain in patients with CD, improving daily activity, and increasing the intervals between botulinum toxin injections and lowering the dose of the drug administered