Writer's cramp

Writer's cramp
Other namesFocal hand dystonia (FHD), Mogigraphia and Scrivener's palsy
SpecialtyOrthopedic surgery Edit this on Wikidata
Usual onsetMainly adult (30 to 50 years old)
CausesOveruse of writing; genetic
Frequency7–69 per million population

Writer's cramp or focal hand dystonia (FHD) is an idiopathic movement disorder of adult onset, characterized by abnormal posturing and movement of the hand and/or forearm during tasks requiring skilled hand use, such as writing.[1][2] Overcontraction of affected muscles, cocontraction of agonist and antagonist pairs, and activation of muscles inappropriate to a task all impair use of the affected hand.[3]

Writer's cramp is a task-specific focal dystonia of the hand.[4] 'Focal' refers to the symptoms being limited to one location (the hand in this case), and 'task-specific' means that symptoms first occur only when the individual engages in a particular activity. Writer's cramp first affects an individual by interfering with their ability to write, especially for prolonged periods of time.[2]

Epidemiologic studies report a prevalence of 7–69 per million population for writer's cramp,[5] which explains its recognition as a rare disease, like all other forms of dystonia.[6]

  1. ^ Pearce, J. "A note on scrivener's palsy." J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2005 April; 76(4): 513. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2004.044743. [1]
  2. ^ a b Rana, AQ, Saeed, U. "Diversity of responses to writer's dystonia - a condition resistant to treatment". West Indian Med J. 2012 Sep;61(6):650-1. [2]
  3. ^ Karp, B. I. (2017-01-01), "Writer's Cramp☆", Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-12-809324-5, retrieved 2020-08-24
  4. ^ "Dystonia Medical Research Foundation: Hand Dystonia/Writer's Cramp | Quick Facts". Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  5. ^ Amouzandeh, Ali; Grossbach, Michael; Hermsdörfer, Joachim; Altenmüller, Eckart (2017-08-08). "Pathophysiology of writer's cramp: an exploratory study on task-specificity and non-motor symptoms using an extended fine-motor testing battery". Journal of Clinical Movement Disorders. 4: 13. doi:10.1186/s40734-017-0060-4. ISSN 2054-7072. PMC 5547537. PMID 28794890.
  6. ^ "Dystonia". NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). Retrieved 2020-08-24.