C. Wober et al., Posturographic findings in patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia before and after local injections with botulinum toxin, EUR NEUROL, 41(4), 1999, pp. 194-200
In this posturographic study, whole-body postural control was impaired in m
ore than 75% of patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia (ICD) before loc
al injections with botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and the impairment was in
dependent of the direction of the torticollis. Six weeks after therapy with
BTX-A, the number of pathological posturographic parameters had decreased
by almost 30%, and the improvement reached statistical significance for swa
y path, sway area and anteroposterior sway during stance on foam with eyes
closed. From a pathophysiological point of view, this improvement may be ex
plained - at least in part- by a reduction of abnormal proprioceptive input
from the neck. Accordingly, it seems possible that: neck proprioceptive in
put plays a role in whole-body postural control in ICD patients, even thoug
h previous studies suggested that the neck input is relatively ignored in t
hese patients.