FOCAL DYSTONIA IN A VETERINARY SURGEON
For the past year, sometimes, the 4th finger of my left hand curls inwards involuntarily and I have to uncurl it with my right hand to continue surgery. What's the cause of this sporadic problem?
I presume it was due to aging. After all, I am no spring chicken, being 58 years old.
Could this be carpal tunnel syndrome which is commonly diagnosed in people such as mothers holding babies?
This problem does not happen all the time and has never happened while I do typing or writing. I do use the keyboard a lot to write and create pictures for the "Be Kind To Pets" (www.bekindtopets.com) educational website everyday.
Today, I read in the Straits Times, March 12, 2009, Pg C6 "Back with two hands" that the famous Ameican pianist Leon Fleisher could not uncurl the last 2 fingers of his right hand for 30 years. So he could not play the piano with his right hand. His condition was correctly diagnosed in the late 1990s as "focal dystonia". This is a neurological disorder originating in the brain. Wrong impulses from the brain cause the muscle of the finger to contract and twist involuntarily inwards.
Apparently, focal dystonia affects musicians, writers and surgeons. I had found the correct diagnosis for my problem. Botox injections and regular hand exercises can treat the problem but there is no permanent cure as at 2009.
Or is there? More research needs to be done by me. Maybe I will be forced to stop doing surgery later. A new career as a licensed travel agent?
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