Musician's Cramp

Abstract

Musician's focal dystonia is a motor dysfunction that appears in artists after years of repetitive and fine movements during performance. This is the condition most feared by musicians because it leads to difficulties in controlling movements, which can interrupt or terminate their careers. It is characterized by the onset of involuntary muscle contractions and movements; its distinguishing feature is that it only occurs during a specific and well-defined action. It is rarely diagnosed because those who experience it do not seek medical attention for fear or shame, but also because many physicians do not consider the disease in the differential diagnosis of motor dysfunction. We describe the case of a guitarist who presented to our outpatient clinic after many years of experiencing musician's focal dystonia. He reported a long list of misdiagnoses and a variety of unsuccessful treatments.Musician's focal dystonia is an under-diagnosed condition. Treatment benefit is limited despite recent innovative approaches. Rheumatologist should be aware of this condition.