Making Dystonia Your Friend, with Monika Benson

In this episode we sit down with Monika Benson, Executive Director of Dystonia Europe. Monika has been living with cervical Dystonia for 19 years, and after years of feeling isolated she now feels as if she has a big "Dystonia family".

Around Monica's 40th birthday, she started noticing her neck pulling to the left. She thought the pain was due to a muscle strain from working a desk job at a school in Sweden. After 6 months of doctor's visits she had received the diagnosis of Dystonia. 

After trial and error, Monika found that combination treatment of botulinum toxin injections and physiotherapy exercises worked best for her. However, Monika mentions there is a lack of physiotherapists that are knowledgable of Dystonia and the best ways to treat patients. Therefore, Monika is working hard to erase the stigma, promote research, and raise awareness for Dystonia through her work in Dystonia Europe.

How to Support Dystonia Europe: following Dystonia Europe on social media,  sharing posts with your network, becoming a member of your national dystonia association,  and meeting up with other patients to listen to  their story and offering support.

Monika's story is inspirational as she has turned what was one of the most difficult hurdles in her life into a blessing. Listen to the full episode with Monika on The Positive Twist!