Dystonia
Helping people with dystonia improve mobility, confidence, and quality of life through personalised rehabilitation.
Dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions. These contractions can lead to twisting movements, abnormal postures, tremor, and sometimes significant pain. Symptoms may be sustained or intermittent and can affect one area of the body, adjacent regions, or more generalised patterns.
At Nicole Lavin Neuro Rehab, we most commonly work with cervical dystonia, a form of focal dystonia affecting the neck muscles. Cervical dystonia causes abnormal head postures, neck pain, pulling sensations, tremor, and difficulty maintaining midline alignment. Symptoms often fluctuate and may worsen with stress, fatigue, or prolonged positions.
Dystonia is not a primary muscle problem. It results from altered motor control within brain networks, particularly involving the Basal ganglia. Symptoms often fluctuate and may be influenced by stress, fatigue, and task-specific demands.
Management may include medication or botulinum toxin injections, but rehabilitation is essential in helping people improve movement control, manage pain, and maintain independence.
We support individuals with focal, segmental, and generalised dystonia, adapting rehabilitation as needs change.
How we can help
At Nicole Lavin Neuro Rehab, we provide specialist physiotherapy and occupational therapy for people with dystonia, delivering personalised rehabilitation tailored to each individual’s movement pattern and functional goals.
Our rehabilitation aims to:
- Optimise posture and alignment.
- Reduce pain and secondary musculoskeletal strain.
- Improve confidence and participation in daily activities.
- Support long-term self-management.
Our services may include:
- 1:1 specialist neurophysiotherapy focusing on task-specific motor retraining, reducing co-contraction, and improving movement efficiency.
- Postural re-education and deep stabiliser activation.
- Sensory and proprioceptive retraining.
- Targeted strengthening of underactive muscle groups.
- Endurance training to reduce fatigue-related worsening.
- Hydrotherapy to support freer movement, reduce muscle overactivity, and improve relaxation and balance.
- Occupational therapy assessment of daily activities, work tasks, and meaningful roles.
- Fatigue management and pacing strategies.
- Equipment recommendations, splinting where appropriate, and environmental adaptations.
- Vocational support and workplace adjustments.
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