units of rehabilitation

Dystonia is a dynamic disorder of sensorimotor control. In many other countries physiotherapy plays an essential role in management, in the UK it rarely features. We can likely cure subtypes of dystonia with strategic physiotherapy and relieve disability in all. Our national survey has revealed an urgent need for better provision of physiotherapy. Our clinical and scientific work seeks to build the evidence base for efficacy and define the scientific rationale. In task-specific dystonia we have trialled multimodal rehabilitation approaches and collaborate with performance arts centres to deliver novel methods of retraining such as differential learning. In cervical dystonia we emphasise re-establishing the natural statistics of head and neck movements, freeing control and building on existing strategies with proven efficacy.