Writer's cramp

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Writer's cramp is a form of cramp or spasm that affects certain muscles of the hand and fingers as a result of excessive fine motor activity like writing or playing the piano. It is referred to medically as task-specific focal dystonia of the hand. Mogigraphia is a rare, obsolescent technical term for it.

Writer's cramp is thought to result from a problem of control involving the basal ganglia of the brain. As well as writers, musicians have also been affected, including Leon Fleischer, whose performance career was limited for a time to performance of piano concertos for the left hand alone.

Focal dystonias can be treated with injections of Botox (Botulinum Toxin) in the affected muscle groups to paralyze the overactive muscles. Postural techniques such as the Alexander Technique are also effective in some cases.