cervical dystonia
Enable an agent to recognize a documented cervical dystonia presentation, assess its burden and course, and support clinician-directed evaluation and care.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 9 layers · 15 findings · 24 questions
Cervical motor phenotype Describe the actual head and neck movement pattern.
Posture and anatomy
Locate and describe the observed deviation.
Direction and reference
Record movement direction, laterality, anatomical reference, and whether the pattern is mixed.
- Which rotations, tilts, flexions, extensions, or translations are observed? measurement
- Does the description distinguish head movement relative to the neck from neck movement relative to the trunk? definition
Movement modulation
Record variation across activities and alleviating maneuvers.
Context and alleviation
Capture tremulous versus sustained expression and repeatable changes during examination.
- How does the pattern change at rest, during walking, or during attempted head turning? measurement
- Does an alleviating maneuver change posture or tremor, and was the effect observed or only reported? provenance
Diagnostic boundaries Preserve the evidence and uncertainty behind recognition.
Clinical attribution
Separate observed signs from diagnostic interpretation.
Assessment evidence
Record who assessed the presentation and which observations support the diagnosis.
- Who attributed the cervical movements to dystonia, when, and using which criteria? provenance
- Which observations remain inconsistent with or insufficient for that attribution? boundary
Alternative explanations
Document assessed mimics and unresolved alternatives.
Posture and tremor differential
Record evidence concerning weakness, structural restriction, ocular compensation, tics, and isolated head tremor. [Diagnostic validation study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129917/)
- What evidence distinguishes the observed posture from weakness, mechanical restriction, or visual compensation? boundary
- What additional examination would resolve uncertainty about isolated head tremor or another movement disorder? action
Onset, distribution, and cause Place cervical involvement within its clinical history.
Onset and spread
Track when cervical manifestations began and whether their distribution changed.
Cervical course
Preserve onset estimates and the chronology of involvement beyond the cervical region.
- At what age and over what interval did the abnormal neck posture or movement emerge? provenance
- Which additional regions show dystonia, and when were they first affected? boundary
Etiologic attribution
Link proposed causes to supporting evidence.
Cause and associated signs
Keep suspected causation distinct from established findings and associated neurological syndromes.
- What medication exposures, family history, investigations, or neurological events support a proposed cause? provenance
- Which associated neurological signs require linkage to a broader syndrome model? boundary
Burden and care response Connect cervical manifestations to daily limitations and evaluated care.
Pain and function
Record consequences relevant to the affected person.
Priority limitations
Specify neck pain and concrete activities limited by head position or movement.
- How severe is neck or shoulder pain over a stated recall period? measurement
- Which activities, such as reading, working, sleeping, or looking over a shoulder, does the person most want to improve? action
Treatment follow-up
Organize treatment records and comparable outcome observations.
Benefit, tolerability, and review
For each documented intervention, retain treatment details, benefit timing, reported harms, and the clinician's follow-up plan.
- For a botulinum toxin cycle, what formulation, treated muscles, administration date, and clinician-recorded doses accompany the outcome assessment? provenance
- When did improvement begin and wear off, and how did posture, pain, and priority activities change? measurement
- What new swallowing difficulty, neck weakness, or other reported problem requires review under the treating clinician's plan? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cervical dystonia this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Cross-cutting context
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- XCT
- Domain
- XCT.STA
What it is Filled
Cervical dystonia is a focal movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent involuntary contractions of neck muscles that produce abnormal, often repetitive head or neck movements and postures, sometimes with tremor and pain.
In scope
- Pattern, direction, variability, and anatomical distribution of cervical dystonia
- Clinical evidence distinguishing dystonia from other causes of abnormal head posture
- Onset, course, associated manifestations, and suspected causes
- Neck pain, functional limitations, and patient priorities
- Treatment exposure, benefit, adverse effects, and reassessment needs
Out of scope
- Complete models of generalized dystonia or associated neurological diseases
- Cervical spine disease, muscular torticollis, and ocular disorders as independent conditions
- Drug manufacturing, prescribing protocols, and autonomous injection planning
- Genetic variants and inheritance mechanisms beyond their relationship to this presentation
- Detailed surgical procedures and implanted stimulation-device engineering
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognize a documented cervical dystonia presentation, assess its burden and course, and support clinician-directed evaluation and care.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Look for involuntary, patterned head or neck deviation rather than identifying cervical dystonia from neck pain alone. [Diagnostic validation study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129917/)
- Assess whether posture reflects dystonic movement, weakness, structural restriction, or visual compensation; an abnormal head position alone is insufficient. [Diagnostic validation study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10129917/)
- Record whether a light touch or other alleviating maneuver improves the posture; this supports recognition but its absence does not exclude the condition. [Clinical consensus](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10528915/)
- Distinguish head tremor with cervical dystonic postures from isolated head tremor, retaining uncertainty when the examination is inconclusive. [Clinical consensus](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10528915/)
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose the condition from a video of a person's movements.
- Recommend injections, medicines or surgery for a specific person.
- Mock involuntary movements or suggest they are put on.
- Disclose a person's diagnosis to employers without consent.
Only with a human decision
- Any treatment decision.
May
- Explain cervical dystonia in general terms from reputable medical sources.
- Help a person find specialist movement disorder services and support groups.
Moral aspects Filled
- Visible involuntary movements expose people to stigma and are often misread as nervousness.
- Chronic pain and disability affect work and independence.
Who is affected
- Patients
- Families
- Employers and colleagues
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the condition; patients and their clinicians answer for care.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1428695 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.cervical-dystonia
- Wikidata: Q6152510 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6152510)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- Observed cervical pattern: Rotation, lateral tilt, flexion, extension, translation, or mixed; record side and anatomical reference
- Postural deviation: Degrees where measurable, with head-on-neck or neck-on-trunk reference, task, and method
- Temporal expression: Sustained, intermittent, tremulous, or mixed; observation duration and provoking context
- Diagnostic assessment: Suspected, clinician-supported, uncertain, or revised; assessor, date, and criteria
- Distribution and associated syndrome: Affected body regions and links to associated neurological findings
- Neck pain burden: Patient-reported 0-10 score with recall period, location, and assessment date
- Cervical dystonia assessment score: Named instrument and version, component scores, assessor, and treatment-cycle timing
- Treatment-cycle response: Baseline, onset of benefit, best response, wearing off, or unclear; dated observations
Plane XCT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Head turned, tilted or pulled forward or back by sustained neck muscle contraction.
- Sometimes with jerky head tremor or a raised shoulder.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Assemble a structured movement-disorder assessment from examination and patient reports.
- Identify missing evidence or conflicting observations requiring clinician review.
- Compare posture, pain, and function across matched assessment contexts.
- Link cervical manifestations to a broader dystonia syndrome or suspected cause.
- Track clinician-directed treatment against patient priorities and adverse effects.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Chronic neck pain and fatigue.
- Difficulty driving or working when head control is poor.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), World Health Organization.
Context of use required Filled
- Cervical dystonia is encountered in neurological and rehabilitation care when involuntary neck muscle activity disrupts head posture or movement.
- Clinical assessment considers pain, movement patterns and effects on daily activities such as reading, working and maintaining visual orientation.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q6152510: cervical dystonia - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Spasmodic torticollis - general description of the item
Open questions
- Which diagnostic criteria should govern this registry model across isolated, acquired, and combined presentations, given the narrower scope of the isolated cervical dystonia consensus?
- How should isolated head tremor with equivocal cervical posturing be represented pending longitudinal reassessment?
- Which anatomical terminology and observation protocol best support reproducible head-on-neck versus neck-on-trunk descriptions?
- Which assessment instruments and change thresholds best capture meaningful improvement across posture, pain, and patient-prioritized function?
- What evidence is sufficient to distinguish treatment nonresponse from targeting issues, assessment timing, or an incorrect initial diagnosis?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q6152510/spec.json