Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of an active exercise
program for cervical dystonia. DESIGN: Pilot randomized controlled, single-blind
trial of a 12-week intervention followed by a four-week follow-up period.
SETTING: Supervised physiotherapy and outcome measurement sessions were conducted
in a hospital outpatient physiotherapy setting. Participants also performed
exercises at home. SUBJECTS: Twenty participants with idiopathic cervical
dystonia were randomized into an experimental (n = 9) or control (n = 11) group.
Two participants from the experimental group and one from the control group
dropped out. INTERVENTIONS: The experimental group undertook a semi-supervised
active exercise program aimed at correcting the dystonic head position, plus
relaxation. The control group performed relaxation only. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Feasibility of the intervention was assessed by recording adherence, muscle
soreness, and adverse events. The primary outcome measure was blinded analysis of
the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) score. RESULTS:
The active exercise program was feasible and safe, with participants in the
experimental group completing 84% of prescribed training sessions in the 12-week
intervention period. There were no adverse events in either group, while mild
muscle soreness was reported by 66% of the experimental group. There was no
significant difference between groups at post-test or follow-up. The difference
between groups of -1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) -9.0-5.2) on the TWSTRS
demonstrates a trend towards greater improvement for the experimental group.
CONCLUSION: Active exercise for people with cervical dystonia is feasible and can
be completed with good adherence and no adverse effects.

Langue : ANGLAIS