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several have written on this thread. >> I don't understand how rigidity could be mistaken for dystonia. True >> dystonia as I know it could be diagnosed by practically anybody. There's no >> mistaking the distorted limbs (most often a foot), pain, and cramping >> characteristic of dystonia. Rigidity from what I understand is just that, >> rigidity or paralysis, hence the name paralysis agitans tone is the term for tonus - quality of muscle status. that is, whether relaxed/flabby or tensioned to one degree or another. dys is the prefix to tone/tonus that indicates or designates inappropriate. thus, dystonia is inappropriate muscle tension. if the muscle(s) that move our bones are normal, their tonus is appropriate. ours are not appropriate when both the opposing muscles are relaxed - joint is flabby; both tensed - rigidty or stiffness; both very tensed - catatonic or paralyzed/motionless. dystonia is usually evidenced by distorted positioning; and, the larger muscle tension pulls the joint into abnormal position. when this is _curling_ the toes, foot and ankle (for instance) it is difficult to walk. If the neural feedback systems sympathetic and parasympathetic are not giving information to the movement control nerve center neurons crrectly, this progresses to the point where the foot and calf muscles twist or spasm and distort into the painful zone. this progression can be seen as due to the same lack of feedback - or, it could be that the larger muscle of the pairs for fingers and toes are to close are unbalanced; or, there may be no signal reaching the brain until the spasm which triggers the pain signal which does occupy one's full attention. exercise is good, but the range of motion emphasis might be more important. Ron Vetter 1936, '84 PD dz mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter