[Dystonias: what the practitioner needs to know].

Dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscular contractions resulting in repetitive movements and/or postures, with co-contraction of antagonist muscle groups. the present overview describes the fundamentals of dystonic movement disorders, and provides information on their diagnosis and therapy, including in particular the not infrequent focal dystonias spasmodic torticollis, blepharospasm, and writer's cramp, and the generalized forms. For the practitioner it is of primary importance to be able to recognize these sometimes bizarre movement disorders as dystonias. In many cases, the correct diagnosis makes possible effective treatment that frequently results in an appreciable improvement in the patient's symptoms.