Observations

Unlike seizures, it is sometimes possible to bring a person out of a dystonic spasm by distraction. With Niamh we used to gently move her limbs forward and backwards to bring the limb out of spasm, or by jiggling her around, blowing in her face, or clapping her hands together - any kind of movement or distraction really.
This often worked to "break" the immediate pain but some days she would just go straight back into another one - so distraction ended up a full time job.

General muscle relaxant drugs are usually prescribed to relax the whole body's muscles thus making it more difficult for the muscles to spasm. Baclofen is commonly used, but Clonazepam is also often tried as a long term treatment as it can cause muscle relaxation as a side effect.

Sedation with Chloral Hydrate and Buccal Midazolam was the only combination that really helped Niamh when her spasms were bad.

With oral Baclofen, only a very small amount of the medication actually reaches the spinal cavity thus meaning very high doses are
often required to achieve a therapeutic effect.
If the oral dose is not effective (or causes intolerable side effects) then Intrathecal Baclofen or "Baclofen Pump" may be considered.

The Baclofen Pump is a method of administering Baclofen directly into the cavity surrounding the spinal cord (intrathecal space) and
thus removing the need for higher doses of oral medication.
The Baclofen is given directly into the space around the spinal cord via a permanent, surgically implanted pump that is placed in the
abdomen with a catheter (tube) that goes to the spinal cord

Although this treatment was considered for Niamh's Dystonic Spasms, she was simply not heavy/big enough to accommodate the
pump within her small frame. We were told that 10Kg was the absolute minimum weight to be considered but it also depends on the
shape of the child as the pump must be accommodated within their body.