Sensory training as treatment for focal hand dystonia: a 1-year follow-up.

In a prior study, 10 patients with focal hand dystonia learned braille reading as sensory training for 8 weeks. Practice time was 30 to 60 minutes daily. They improved both their spatial acuity using the Grating Orientation Discrimination Task (GOT) and their dystonia using the Fahn scale. Three patients continued training for 1 year. Patients showed further improvement in the GOT, writing a standard paragraph, and self-rating scales. Sensory training lasting longer than 8 weeks may lead to continued improvement.