What’s a torsion spasm? How do you treat it?

Torsion spasm is a movement disorder disease, and belongs to the chronic development of a pathological manifestation of aggravation, slow onset, often starting in one side of the lower limbs or bilateral lower limbs, and slowly develop to the limbs, the patient after the onset of the disease more and more gradual loss of some or all of the ability to lead a life of autonomy, the family, the community has caused a great burden. In recent years, functional neurosurgery has achieved great success in the treatment of torsion spasticity. Air Force Medical University Tangdu Hospital Neurosurgery Professor Wang Xuelian introduced, torsion spasms such as vertebral extrasystemic diseases can not be completely eradicated and cured, if a medical institution claims to be able to cure the patient must think twice, not blindly gullible. At present, we can only use drugs, botulinum toxin, stereotactic surgery to alleviate and control the symptoms, relative to the conservative treatment of internal medicine, surgery can be the most direct and effective way to improve the symptoms, to achieve the level of normal people, improve the quality of life. The first symptom of torsion spasm is mostly a mild motor disorder of one side of the lower limbs, the foot is turned inward and curved, the heel can not touch the ground when walking, slow and continuous involuntary torsion movement of the trunk and the proximal limbs is the most serious, resulting in the anterior convexity of the spine and pelvic tilt, the involuntary movement involves the cervical and scapular muscles, the appearance of the neck tilt; involving the facial muscles and the pharyngeal muscles, resulting in facial spasms and difficulty in reaching the voice. Torsion spasm patients in autonomous movement or nervousness, the symptoms will be aggravated, completely disappeared after sleep, muscle tone in the twisting action increases, twisting movement stops after the normal or reduced, recessive hereditary torsion spasms are mostly progressive development, the prognosis is not good, most of them die in a number of years after the onset of the disease, but a part of the patients can not progress for a long time, and even can be relieved by themselves. So how to treat torsion spasm? Prof. Wang Xuelian said: the treatment is a combination of drugs, surgery, rehabilitation, can not be cured, improve the symptoms, reduce the abnormal movement, reduce the pain caused by muscle spasm. Drugs are levodopa class, Antan, baclofen, etc. Patients with more severe symptoms, feasible brain pacemaker treatment, improve the effect is better. Brain pacemaker treatment can effectively relieve dystonia and improve the symptoms of patients with torsion spasm. Moreover, brain pacemaker therapy has the advantages of reversibility and adjustability without permanent damage to tissues. It can be operated unilaterally or both sides can be stimulated by implanting electrodes at the same time.