Living with dystonia can be challenging. Symptoms can affect your ability to do your job, enjoy hobbies, and do everyday tasks. Some forms of dystonia worsen over time, so getting a rapid, accurate diagnosis is important for the right treatment.
Neurologists at Penn Medicine’s Movement Disorders Center have the experience and expertise to determine whether you have dystonia and help you move forward with life.
How is dystonia diagnosed?
Usually, a neurologist diagnoses dystonia. These are specialists who focus on conditions that affect the brain and nervous system.
During your visit, the neurologist will review your medical history, family history, and current medications. A physical and neurological examination helps assess which areas of the body are affected. It’s important to explain how symptoms are affecting your daily life.
In many cases, dystonia can be diagnosed based on your symptoms and an examination alone. Sometimes blood tests or genetic testing help identify an underlying cause. If your provider needs more information to find the cause or to plan dystonia treatment, they may suggest imaging or nerve tests.
Finding answers for complex movement disorders
Because there is no definitive test for dystonia, getting a diagnosis from an experienced specialist is critical. People seek out our team for dystonia diagnosis because of our:
- Collaborative care: Our team model of care is built on collaboration. Dystonia specialists at Penn meet regularly to discuss challenging or unusual cases. We use our collective experience and wisdom to make an accurate diagnosis that leads to the most effective treatment plan.
- Expertise: Dystonia is frequently misdiagnosed by doctors who lack deep experience with this complex condition. At Penn Medicine, you will meet with doctors who specialize in dystonia and dedicate their practice to bringing you the best possible care.
- Comprehensive genetic testing: Penn’s robust genetics program provides comprehensive genetic testing to look for inherited types of dystonia and research designed to better understand the genetic causes behind these conditions.
- Research-based care: As part of an academic medical center, our doctors are also researchers. Their work seeks to learn more about dystonia and other movement disorders and improve diagnosis and treatment.