Limb to Cranial Overflow Dystonia in a Patient After Stroke

Dystonia is a known complication of stroke. Hemidystonia is the most common dystonic presentation after stroke. Dystonia is characterized by overflow muscle activation to contiguous segments. This video demonstrates the overflow of right-hand dystonia to jaw opening dystonia in a patient with a past stroke. Mirror movements have been described in the literature in the contralateral hand of patients with focal hand dystonia. This video also demonstrates reverse mirror dystonia in the right hand when using the jaw muscles during chewing movements and during actual eating. Although mirror dystonia in the contralateral hand while exercising the ipsilateral hand with focal dystonia has been commonly described, cranial to limb overflow is a rare phenomenon. Click the Related Article link for full details.