I at 34 years old this year had a stroke caused by a carotid artery dissection in my neck on the right side(no idea how). The stroke damaged the basal ganglia part of my brain on the right side. It took a few weeks after I was on the mend at home but I have developed focal dystonia in my left foot (which coincides with the brain area effected). I have suffered physical pain when attempting therapy exercises to try and cure it but all that seems to do is aggravate the tendons and making my ankle sore. The soreness/pain just triggers the spastic movement of my toes, particularly my big toe which tends to point upwards and cross the bordering toe. The other thing that triggers it is when I lift my foot off the ground. The neurologist said it could go away on its own, but the damage to the brain isn't going away.. so it was kind of a mixed response. Is this fixable or isn't it? I have been patient with it but hoping to see some results soon. I am actually getting a botox injection soon for it. I just want to be able to jog again in a normal fashion.
I have been doing this attunement exercise every day. I just finished chapter 5 of your book and now I know why I have focal dystonia for 4 years now. I played a certain way on the piano for my whole life. Naturally, I played wrong. My fingers where flat and collapsed at the first joint and when I switched teachers 5 years ago, she told me I will never be able to play with the right touch to play pieces like Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum with my fingers collapsed like that. And she was right, I couldn't. My fingers were all collapsed. I didn't have the right touch. It felt natural to me my old way of playing but I would never reach a high level of playing with my technique being so poor. For about a year, I tried to play with my fingers curved and tried not to collapse them. 1 year after trying to correct my playing I developed a very serious focal hand dystonia in both my hands. Then for 4 more years I am still trying to correct the problem. I have learned in your book, so far, that I cannot correct the this dystonia by using my neocortex trying to focus on my fingers while playing trying not to over curl them or try to not make them stick straight up and down. I have tried to control these dystonia spasms for 4 years and have failed and now I know why after reading 5 chapters of your book so far. My question is, I want to be healed of my focal hand dystonia but I do not want to go back to my old way of playing. I understand some people play with less curved fingers than other people but to collapse the finger is never acceptable and if someone plays this way they will never reach a high level on the piano. I am wondering if it is possible for me, I am around 40 years of age now, to be healed of dystonia without going back to my old way of playing before focal dystonia? I want to be healed of this dystonia but come out of it with better technique then before I got this disease. Please can you let me know if this is possible?. By the way, now with this focal dystonia, my fingers are all contorted while I play on top of still collapsing my fingers. I am all a mess. Your book is giving me hope. Please can you let me know what you think? Thank you.
You have described focal dystonia as a "performance block" and "yips" in some of your writings and videos. I don't believe it is either. It is the brain sending garbled signals to the hand (in the case I will discuss), and in its acute form is near impossible to overcome. I know someone with focal dystonia, and he can only open the first three digits of his right hand comfortably. The only way he can open his hand completely is to stick his third and fourth fingers together, but then the second finger drops a bit. As soon as he moves the fourth finger away from the third, it begins to drop, taking the fifth along with it. This person is a pianist and his condition is not task specific. He can barely do easy tasks like shaking hands, waving, clapping, or washing his face. He tried Botox, but his hand eventually got used to this medication and it became less effective. Playing Romantic works on the piano, works that require any kind of a stretch (octaves, chords, etc...) is now impossible. And so are early period works such as Bach and Mozart, as the fourth finger wants to constantly press into the keys. When he raises his hand from the keys the fourth finger drops and the third sticks out. He has tried everything, and is now only relying on very slow practice with no improvement. He is eagerly awaiting the South Korean NT-1 cure, which will become available in the next year or so. Finally he will be done with all this re-training, attunement, relaxation malarkey. None of it works for acute, non-task specific focal hand dystonia.
The sound is incredible on this one. This would be a recording that could be found on iTunes. So much more acute than the last one, it was really a struggle for me the first time listening. I know listening every day, and eventually doing this by myself, is going to help me reduce dystonia. So excited about the book, going to look for it as a online download. I'm completely aware it's tons of work to create a book, but really intrested in finding an audiobook version too! Thanks so much.
My hands have always been extremely cold, even during summer. This exercise makes my fingers very warm. Once I stop, they go cold again. Is this coldness dystonia related? I am assuming autonomic dysregulation to be responsible.
It is likely to be a sign of the hypoactivation of your nervous system. This and the other exercises in my book will help bring your nervous system into regulation. It is common for people with fd to also have cold hands or the dystonic hand colder than the other one.
Ok I have been suffering from Writters dystonia When I am doing this excercise I feel my head is spinning therefore in fear I stopped this excercise Is it normal ?? or Just I cann't concentrate
I can do this exercise and it is great. I can feel the part of my body inside and out and on the surface. Is it normal for the part I am focusing on to tingle?. As I start at my feet, they begin to tingle and rest of my body as I move up my body. Is this normal?.
Yes, Tony, it is a very frequent occurrence. Be open to what you find each time you do the exercise. The tingling may continue or over time it may begin to fade away. All is good!
Can you make a video on brain spotting? I read your book ruth and it's amazing. But i have certain confusion . it would be great if you can clear . In attuntment repair exercise , i feeel as i am in that part of the body, noticing all changes Nd accepting it keeping eye in neutral position. In brainspotting exercise we have to close our eye and the eye needs to see the area of body we r concentrating?
Hi Binit, we are not using Brainspotting in this exercise, so you do not need to even be aware of what your eyes are doing. One of the many purposes of the Attunement Repair is to simple develop your interoceptive sensitivity, which is a key skill that will later on make the Brainspotting easier. I encourage you to see if you can let go a little of your thinking mind and just allow yourself to feel the sensations in your body, just as they are, without any intention or agenda.
@@FocalDystoniaCure Dear Ruth, Could you plz make a video explaining the second exercise in the book that is Zero state exercise and others.That will be of great help . Thanks
@@binitdubey6528 binit bhai i have also been suffering from writers cramp from the last three years in both of my hands.. Already consulted different neurologist across India taken botox but negligible improvement.. Can u plzz guide me with the ruth exercises because i don't understand much about how and what to do
