The complications resulting from this condition vary according to the specific type of dystonia, but generally can be considered the following:
- physical disability capable of affecting the performance of the day’s activities, in some cases even the simplest ones.
- Visual disturbances and localized discomfort in the eyelids.
- Jaw movement problems, swallowing disorders, speech disorders.
- Pain caused by continuous muscle contraction.
- Social isolation, anxiety, and depression.
Anxiety relief can be achieved by acting on the parasympathetic nervous system by following certain behavioral rules:
- Devote time to living in nature.
- Undergo massage of the sore parts.
- Practicing meditation.
- Use a deep diaphragmatic abdominal breathing technique.
- Focus to relax with a word like “calm” or a scene of “serenity” in mind.
- Try to distract themselves by participating in children’s games.
- Use yoga or tai chi practices to increase the state of relaxation.
- Take into good account that the nervous system influences behavior and plays a key role in its control.
Living with dysautonomiaand dystonic symptoms
When the autonomic nervous system malfunctions, neurovegetative dysautonomia can occur, with various disorders, such as:
- Irregular blood pressure with pressure swings and heart rate changes.
- Digestive tract disorders, with alternating phases of constipation and diarrhea, dysphagia.
- Respiratory disorders.
- Urologic and sexual disorders.
- Sleep disorders and related consequences.
Prominent among the variety of disorders is the pressure disorder with the problem of orthostatic hypotension, a significant lowering of blood pressure that occurs as the patient leaves the lying position by standing up.
Dystonias can be focal or generalized, depending on whether they focus on a specific part of the body or multiple parts.
Generalized dystonias can be central or peripheral, depending on whether they affect the brain and cord or the peripheral nerves.
The quality of life with the symptoms of a dystonic disorder can improve by assiduously practicing certain wellness techniques to achieve results physically, emotionally-psychologically, nutritionally, socially, and familially by acquiring strategies for stress management, the first precaution to combat the disease.
Good results can be achieved against stress, simultaneously achieving distraction from illness and improvement on the mood level, with techniques such as:
- yoga, a relaxation and tension-reducing technique that is effective in alleviating the symptoms of various diseases.
- Acupuncture, whose benefits are evident in dystonic patients, acting on peripheral nerves, produces positive effects on the brain and the balance of cortisol and some other stress-related hormones.
- Massage can be especially helpful for patients with dystonias, both in that it relaxes muscles by reducing spasms, but also because it improves blood circulation.
It is advisable to practice a gentle and careful massage that does not overstress the massaged area to avoid worsening symptoms such as spasms or pain. - Meditation, it may prove helpful for the dystonic patient to have his own awareness of the disease and his ailments and the environment in which he lives, deciding that he can exercise as a protagonist actions to improve his physical condition.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, can be regarded as an extension of mindfulness coming from meditation, aims to correct erroneous pathways of the patient in coping with the disease by modifying oppressive thoughts and fears and states of mind in order to better “maneuver” one’s condition.
