Homeopathic treatment
Before we delve into homeopathy treatment let us first discuss the conventional or allopathic treatment available.
Treatment of writer's cramp / mogigraphia / Scrivener's palsy/ focal hand arm finger
dystonia in conventional medicine or allopathy is designed in such a way that it
helps in the lessening of spasms, pain and disturbed postures or functions.
Most therapies depend on individual symptoms. No single strategy can be appropriate
in every case. Doctors try to achieve the treatment which will give the individual
greatest benefits while incurring the fewest risks and side effects.
Allopathic or conventional doctors approach the treatment from three angles – oral
medications, botulinum toxin injections (botox) and / or surgery. These therapies
can be used alone or in combination depending on the acuteness and complexity of
the case and an individual’s requirement.
A lot of times, additional care like physical therapy is also recommended. It’s
important to add here that, there is currently no known cure in conventional system
of medicine or allopathy for dystonia / writer's cramp.
Almost every different type of psychotherapeutic drug has been tried as a treatment
for writer's cramp in conventional system or allopathy. These drugs include levodopa
/ carbidopa, baclofen, benzodiapines, and dopamine depletors. The most commonly
used drugs are anticholinergic medications, but unwanted side effects are usually
unacceptable to patients. Drug therapy means a lifetime treatment course, which
is also undesirable and reduces compliance.
Too high a dosage of botulinum toxin (botox) may cause unintended weakness of neighboring
muscles, interfering with other activities. Finally, repeated dosages of botulinum
toxin (botox) may cause the formation of antibodies in a patient, rendering the
treatment ineffective.
How homeopathy helps
Most of the treatment options available for writer's cramp are directed towards
treating the symptoms of the disease, rather than the underlying causes. In homeopathy,
treatment is aimed at underlying cause of the disease.
The homeopathic approach is more of totalistic and individualistic in nature. In
brief, the concept suggests looking at any disease condition in its totality rather
than treating it in isolation. Any major disease is multi-factorial in its origin.
The treatment looks at the multi-factorial causations such as genetic, physical,
emotional and so on and treats the disease accordingly.
Writer’s cramp finds encouraging results with homeopathic treatment, especially
in the early stages. When it is treated in its early stages the chances of complications
become less.
The medicines are prepared from a wide range of natural sources. Over 75% of the
medicines origin from the vegetable kingdom, i.e. flowers, roots, leaves and the
juice.
Homeopathic remedies work as muscle relaxant as well as pain reliever without any
side effects. While prescribing a medicine a complete history of the patient is
taken which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution
and genetic predisposition to the disease.
A properly prescribed remedy can lower the progression of disease and in highly
susceptible people can prevent the occurrence or prolong the onset of disease. Also
homeopathy offers a treatment which is safe, gentle and will not end up with side
effects.
There are 62 remedies which give great relief in writer's cramp / mogigraphia /
Scrivener's palsy / focal hand arm finger dystonia. However, the correct choice
and the resulting relief is a matter of experience and right judgment on the part
of the doctor. The treatment is decided after thorough case taking of the patient.
Thus medicines are designer made unlike allopathy in which all patients receive
the same drugs although trade name may be different.
For online treatment, you may follow the following steps at Consult now.
*DISCLAIMER: There is no guarantee of specific results and the results can vary. None of the remedies mentioned including services, mentioned at HomeopathicTreatment4U.com, should be used without clearance from your physician or healthcare provider. We do not claim to cure any disease which is considered 'incurable' on the basis of scientific facts by modern medicine. We assure you of the best possible efforts for those who apply for online treatment. However, please note that we do not claim to cure each and every case, nor do we guarantee any magical cure. The website’s content is not a substitute for direct, personal, professional medical care and diagnosis.
What is writer's cramp / mogigraphia / scrivener's palsy / focal hand, arm, finger
dystonia
Writers cramp is also called mogigraphia and Scrivener's palsy.
It is a task-specific focal dystonia of the hand. 'Focal' refers to the symptoms
being limited to one location (the hand in this case), and 'task-specific' means
that symptoms first occur only when the individual engages in a particular activity.
It first affects an individual by inhibiting his ability to write.
The symptoms will appear only during the particular movement like writing or playing
the piano. Sadly, it is also known to spread and affect many tasks.
There are two kinds:
Simple writer's cramp
People suffering from simple writer’s cramp have difficulty with only one specific
task. For example, when the individual picks up a pen to start writing, after writing
a few words, the cramped posture of the hand begin to slow down the speed and accuracy
of writing.
Dystonia writer's cramp
Symptoms will occur not only during writing but also when performing other tasks
like drinking tea, coffee, applying makeup, ironing clothes. In United States, one
study estimated the prevalence to be 69 cases per 100,000 population; this is thought
to be an underestimation because a high percentage of patients never seek medical
assistance.
Internationally, again, because of the small percentage of affected patients seeking
medical attention, accurate prevalence estimates are not available.
Prevalence is slightly higher in men; the male to female ratio is 1.3:1.
Typically, patients present in the third to fifth decades, and women usually present
earlier than men.
Causes
The exact of cause of writers cramp is not well known; it was believed to be the
result of excessive fine motor activity, possibly complicated by a tense or otherwise
inappropriate writing technique.
Researchers generally agree that these types of focal dystonia are the result of
a basal ganglia and / or sensorimotor cortex malfunction in the brain.
Altered nerve cell communication: Dystonia has been linked to altered communication
between nerve cells located in the basal ganglia — an area of the brain involved
in initiating muscle contractions.
Genetic changes: Researchers have also discovered a number of genetic changes associated
with certain inherited forms of dystonia and also with other forms of dystonia.
However, most cases of adult-onset focal dystonia have not been linked to genes.
Other disorders: Sometimes dystonia is but one symptom of a more pervasive disorder
that affects the basal ganglia, such as:
- Parkinson's disease
- Huntington's disease
- Traumatic brain injury
- Stroke
- Brain tumor
- Oxygen deprivation
- Infections, such as tuberculosis or encephalitis
- Reactions to certain drugs
- Heavy metal or carbon monoxide poisoning
Symptoms
Common symptoms include:
- Excessive gripping of the pen,
- Flexing of muscles,
- Abnormal movement of the wrist or elbow,
- The individual would often find it difficult to hold on to the pen and keeps dropping
the pen.
- Mild discomfort may occur in the fingers, wrist, or forearm.
It usually affects people between the ages of 30 and 50 years, both men and women.
A similar situation can be observed in musicians playing certain instruments, typists
and golfers.
While it is not fatal or life threatening in any way, it definitely can be a chronic
disorder and how it progresses after that is difficult to tell.
As is with other diseases, the sooner it is treated, lesser will be the complications
and after effects.
Symptoms progress in following manner:
- Early symptoms may include loss of precision muscle coordination (sometimes first
manifested in declining penmanship, frequent small injuries to the hands, dropped
items and a noticeable increase in dropped or chipped dishes),
- Cramping pain with sustained use and trembling,
- Significant muscle pain and cramping may result from very minor exertions like holding
a book and turning pages.
- It may become difficult to find a comfortable position for arms and legs with even
the minor exertions associated with holding arms crossed causing significant pain
similar to restless leg syndrome.
- When called upon to perform an intentional activity, the muscles fatigue very quickly
and some portions of the muscle groups do not respond (causing weakness) while other
portions over-respond or become rigid.
- The symptoms worsen significantly with use, especially in the case of focal dystonia,
and a "mirror effect" is often observed in other body parts : use of the
right hand may cause pain and cramping in that hand as well as in the other hand
and legs that were not being used.
- Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, sustained use and cold temperatures can worsen symptoms.
- Direct symptoms may be accompanied by secondary effects of the continuous muscle
and brain activity, including disturbed sleep patterns, exhaustion, mood swings,
mental stress, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision, digestive problems and
short temper.
- People with dystonia may also become depressed and find great difficulty adapting
their activities and livelihood to a progressing disability.
- Side effects from allopathic or conventional treatment and medications can also
present challenges in normal activities.
- In some cases, symptoms may progress and then plateau for years, or stop progressing
entirely.
- The progression may be delayed by treatment or adaptive lifestyle changes, while
forced continued use may make symptoms progress more rapidly.
- In others, the symptoms may progress to total disability, making some of the more
risky forms of treatment worth considering.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of writer's cramp is based on information from the individual and the
physical and neurological examination.
At this time, there is no test to confirm diagnosis, and in most cases, laboratory
tests are normal.
The hands can be affected by many other conditions. Arthritis, tendon problems,
and muscle cramps can all cause pain in the hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the
result of nerve compression.
Writer's cramp is often mistaken for over-use conditions. Over-use syndromes or
repeated-use syndromes are usually characterized by pain, whereas writer's cramp
is more likely to cause problems with coordination. Focal hand dystonia is responsible
for only about 5% of all conditions affecting the hand.
Home care
- Reducing the amount of writing. Use of a keyboard instead of a pen may help.
- There may be some benefit from using a wider pen or an attachment to make it wider.
- Psychological treatment, such as habit reversal, seems no better than relaxation
exercises. Historically there has been a tendency to classify the condition as a
neurosis but the evidence points to a physical etiology.