Dystonia: Symptoms
There are many types of dystonia and the symptoms often vary according to the parts of the body affected. A brief overview follows of the various forms of dystonia and the unique symptoms associated with each:

• Blepharospasm is marked by involuntary contraction of the muscles that control the movement of the eyelids. Symptoms may range from intermittent, painless, increased blinking to constant, painful, eye closure leading to functional blindness.
  
• Cervical dystonia (CD), also known as spasmodic torticollis, is marked by muscle spasms of the head and neck may be painful and cause the neck to twist into unusual positions or postures.
  
• Oromandibular and lingual dystonia are characterized by forceful contractions of the lower face causing the mouth to open or close. Chewing and unusual tongue movements may also occur.
  
• Spasmodic dysphonia (SD), also known as laryngeal dystonia, affects the muscles in the larynx. SD is marked by difficulties in either opening or closing the vocal cords. This causes the voice to have either a strained, hoarse, strangled, or whispering quality.
  
• Limb dystonia is characterized by involuntary contractions of one or more muscles in the arm, hand, leg, or foot. These types of focal dystonias include writer's cramp and other occupational dystonias.
  
• Segmental dystonia involves two adjacent areas of the body, such as the head and neck or the arm and trunk.
  
• Multifocal dystonia involves symptoms in two areas of the body that are not next to each other, such as the two arms, or an arm and a leg.
  
• Generalized dystonia symptoms begin in an arm or a leg and spread eventually to the trunk and the rest of the body. Generalized dystonias are often hereditary or drug-induced.