Despite being the third most common movement disorder, most have never heard of dystonia. Affecting an estimated 500,000 people in North America, dystonia causes the brain to send improper signals to muscles, resulting in awkward, often painful, movements and postures. Dystonia affects people of all ages and can make it difficult to perform even simple tasks like walking, talking, eating, drinking, and even breathing. There is currently no cure for dystonia and it is not unusual for people to wait years to decades for a diagnosis. Having an officially recognized awareness month will bring much needed attention to this disorder and hopefully lead to prompter diagnoses, better treatments, and some day a cure.
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