Active exercise for individuals with cervical dystonia: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of an active exercise program for cervical dystonia.


METHODS
Pilot randomized controlled, single-blind trial of a 12-week intervention followed by a four-week follow-up period.


METHODS
Supervised physiotherapy and outcome measurement sessions were conducted in a hospital outpatient physiotherapy setting. Participants also performed exercises at home.


METHODS
Twenty participants with idiopathic cervical dystonia were randomized into an experimental (n = 9) or control (n = 11) group. Two participants from the experimental group and one from the control group dropped out.


METHODS
The experimental group undertook a semi-supervised active exercise program aimed at correcting the dystonic head position, plus relaxation. The control group performed relaxation only.


METHODS
Feasibility of the intervention was assessed by recording adherence, muscle soreness, and adverse events. The primary outcome measure was blinded analysis of the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) score.


RESULTS
The active exercise program was feasible and safe, with participants in the experimental group completing 84% of prescribed training sessions in the 12-week intervention period. There were no adverse events in either group, while mild muscle soreness was reported by 66% of the experimental group. There was no significant difference between groups at post-test or follow-up. The difference between groups of -1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) -9.0-5.2) on the TWSTRS demonstrates a trend towards greater improvement for the experimental group.


CONCLUSIONS
Active exercise for people with cervical dystonia is feasible and can be completed with good adherence and no adverse effects.
Physiotherapy Department, Westmead Hospital, Australia.
Melani J
MJ
Boyce
Colleen G
CG
Canning
Neil
N
Mahant
John
J
Morris
Jane
J
Latimer
Victor Sc
VS
Fung
D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014103:Torticollis / Q000628:therapy*