[Muscle afferent block for the treatment of writer's cramp]

A 29-year-old man suffered from dystonic writer's cramp for over three years. When he wrote, typed and did other tasks using right hand, dystonic involuntary movement triggered medial rotation of the arm, wrist extension and shoulder elevation. Medication, biofeedback, and botulinum injection were performed without much success. We tried to block the sensory input from muscles by using lidocaine and ethanol. We made injections of 0.5% lidocaine 50ml and 99% ethanol 5ml into muscles with abnormal activity at the frequency of twice a week for about six months. After the treatment, dystonic movement was remarkably improved and he was then able to write, type and perform other tasks with the right hand. Side effects included pain of the injection site, nausea and dizziness, which lasted for a few hours. This "muscle afferent block" did not cause muscle weakness. We speculate that muscle afferent plays a pivotal role in dystonia so that its blocking may be of clinical use.