Causes of Tardive Dystonia

Most people have suffered from muscle twitches at some point in their lives. Perhaps your eye has twitched after a lack of sleep. Maybe your thumb has had a spasm after writing for a long time. Either way, these simple twitches tend to be amusing or annoying at the very most. However, if you develop a permanent muscle-spasm disorder, such as tardive dystonia, it can interfere with your daily life and hinder you from taking care of yourself and your loved ones.

Dystonia is a broad category of neuromuscular disorders that cause uncontrollable muscle twitches that lead to repetitive, twisting motions and even abnormal postures. While some types of dystonias are named for the location of your body that they affect, “tardive” dystonia is so named for the Latin word for late, tardus. Tardive dystonia tends to hit people in their later years, but there are certain things that can cause it to come sooner. (more…)