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Gramps Cramps Your Athletic Style

Musician's cramp and other so-called focal task-specific dystonias are thought of as sporadic or occupational conditions. Now, researchers in the United States and Germany have identified three families with these disorders, suggesting the disorders may be inherited.

Researchers at the University of Lubeck in Germany identified three patients who played the piano or the guitar and were diagnosed with musician's dystonia – a potentially career-ending problem marked by muscle spasms in the hands or fingers when they play their instruments.

The three patients all had two or three first-degree relatives with other forms of dystonia. Six of the relatives had writer's cramp and one had problems threading a needle. Half of the subjects reported that increased practice seemed to trigger the dystonia.

The study is in the Aug. 22, 2005 issue of Neurology.

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