Dystonia

There are many forms of dystonia.

Soo has cervical dystonia, also known as spasmodic torticollis. This sounds like a nice Italian dish, but is a neurological disorder. Basically put, there is a signalling problem between the brain and the affected muscles. While some muscles receive no signals, others try to compensate and become increasingly tense. This causes the parts of the body affected by dystonia (in Soo’s case the neck and less often, the vocal cords) to tremor.

Western medicine injects the patient with botox to numb the affected muscles. This needs to be done every 4 months – and does not always work. In Soo’s case it did not. Another treatment option is numbing drugs with side effects that include but are not limited to, loss of memory and lack of motor skills - not the best thing for an actor.

Soo is currently working with Dr. Joaquin Farias’ Dystonia Recovery Program, a long-term program specifically designed to retrain neuroplasticity, open up sensory reconnection, and release the muscles and nerves that are caught up in the miscommunication.

Dystonia cannot be cured, but with diligent practice patients can become asymptomatic.