{"product_id":"2940153795041","title":"Writer's Cramp (Hand Dystonia), A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions","description":"\u003cp\u003eWriter’s cramp (a form of forearm and hand dystonia) is a medical disorder resulting from a focal dystonia that produces difficulty in writing.\u003cbr\u003eA focal dystonia involves one area of the body (in this case the hand).\u003cbr\u003eHand dystonia (writer's cramp) may cause dystonia of the fingers, hand, and forearm.\u003cbr\u003eSymptoms of writer’s cramp differ from person to person\u003cbr\u003eWriter’s cramp is an uncommon positioning of the fingers, wrist or elbow and muscle spasms and cramping of the fingers, hand and forearm while writing.\u003cbr\u003eOccasional unregulated involuntary movements or tremor may happen.\u003cbr\u003eAll these findings cause difficulty for the person to write and for others to read their writing.\u003cbr\u003eWriter’s cramp can affect people of any age but is often diagnosed in people aged 30-50 years.\u003cbr\u003eWriter's cramp is a form of focal dystonia that is specific to the job of writing and is the most frequent focal primary dystonic disorder.\u003cbr\u003eNormally it begins with an abnormally tight grip while writing, that progresses to increasing difficulty with the task.\u003cbr\u003eExcessive muscle spasms may progress towards the hand, resulting in the abduction of the arm.\u003cbr\u003eFunctional MRI indicates that there is a defect in inhibitory control that may explain the unintended stimulation of muscles and producing abnormal motions.\u003cbr\u003eCommon symptoms are:\u003cbr\u003e1. Excessive gripping of a pen or utensil,\u003cbr\u003e2. Flexing of the wrist,\u003cbr\u003e3. Elevation of the elbow, and\u003cbr\u003e4. Occasional extension of a finger or fingers inducing the utensil to fall from the hand\u003cbr\u003eProlonged periods of writing produce:\u003cbr\u003e1. Cramping,\u003cbr\u003e2. Aching and\u003cbr\u003e3. Inco-ordination of the hand.\u003cbr\u003eWhen the disorder progresses, the period of time needed to produce these symptoms reduces.\u003cbr\u003eThere is often:\u003cbr\u003e1. An exaggeration of the normal semi-flexed position of the fingers,\u003cbr\u003e2. Hyper-extension of the distal inter-phalangeal joint (DIP) of the index finger.\u003cbr\u003eIncoordination, cramping, and aching of the hand with task-specific movements are normally the initial complaints.\u003cbr\u003eThere are no X rays, special scans or blood tests available to diagnose writer’s cramp but investigations may be done to exclude other conditions.\u003cbr\u003eWriter’s cramp has no known cure but there are treatment methods to decrease the degree of symptoms.\u003cbr\u003eThe reduction of the amount of writing that is done is like the treatment of an overuse syndrome.\u003cbr\u003eUse of a keyboard instead of a pen may assist.\u003cbr\u003eBy using a wider pen or an attachment to make it wider, the hand can move the pen better.\u003cbr\u003eThe thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been helpful in some patients\u003cbr\u003eBotulinum toxin is a frequent treatment for the symptoms, helping to normalize writing in 50% of patients and producing a partial benefit in 10% with a mean length of effect of six months.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe writer’s cramp comes about from over-using the pen to write the story or article but is less common because most writers nowadays write using the keyboard.\u003cbr\u003eI however still use a pen for recording my patient’s history and examination results as well as prescriptions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTABLE OF CONTENT\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1 Writer’s cramps\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2 Causes\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3 Symptoms\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4 Diagnosis\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5 Treatment\u003cbr\u003eChapter 6 Prognosis\u003cbr\u003eChapter 7 Wrist Sprain\u003cbr\u003eChapter 8 Chronic Wrist Pain\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kenneth Kee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47122703057136,"sku":"2940153795041","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940153795041_p0.jpg?v=1764060822","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940153795041","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}