Movement Disorders specialist, Natalie Diaz, MD, helped launch the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation’s Los Angeles Dystonia Zoo Day on October 1st, 2022. The annual event promotes dystonia awareness and community connections. Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) was a proud sponsor of this special event for dystonia patients and their loved ones on Saturday, October 1st, 2022, at the Los Angeles Zoo. The event was one of many dystonia events planned throughout September and October by the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) to connect the dystonia community and promote awareness of ..read more

What is cervical dystonia? Cervical dystonia is a localized, or focal, form of a neurological condition called dystonia. It is a very common movement disorder that affects mostly the muscles of the head and neck. Cervical dystonia causes involuntary contractures or involuntary activation of muscles in the neck, such as twisting or turning of the neck, and sometimes results in an abnormal posture. This posture can pull the head back or it can pull the head, rotating the head to one side. It can also tilt the head to one side, or sometimes even pull it forward. What are the symptoms of cervical ..read more

U.S. News & World Report highlights quality, specialty care All 10 Providence Southern California hospitals earned high rankings from U.S. News & World Report, from U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News announced its prestigious Best Hospitals rankings and ratings on July 26, 2022, bestowing a total of 137 honors on the 10 hospitals. Of approximately 415 hospitals across the state, eight Providence hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties were rated among California’s top 37. High Performing Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Southern California Pacific Neuroscience In ..read more

What is Parkinson’s disease (PD)? Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and slowly progressive neurological condition that presently affects more than 1 million Americans and over 8 million people internationally. It is marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement. The exact cause remains unknown. Most people who develop PD are over 50 years old consequently making age the most significant risk factor. In approximately 5% of individuals, genetics play a direct role and there are several known genetic mutations that cause Parkinson’s disease. Genetic mutations ma ..read more

If you are registered on Doximity, and board-certified in one or more of the ranked medical specialties, you are eligible to vote for next year’s U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals. VOte now on doximity Providence Southern California hospitals and affiliates are honored to have received more than 100 honors from the 2021-2022 U.S. News & World Report. The report, which reviews hospital performance in adult, pediatric, and surgical specialties across the country, helps families find the nation’s leading care facilities. Among the top-ranking hospitals, Providence Saint John’s Healt ..read more

Content: Symptoms | Diagnosis and Treatment | A Surgical Option | Useful Resources An under-recognized cause of neck pain and muscle spasm Many of our patients tell us that prior to being seen by us, their symptoms were dismissed by physicians or other providers. Because many movement disorders show no abnormalities on blood testing or imaging, patients are often told that there is “nothing wrong” and that they should learn to “live with it.” This was Ella’s experience. Ella had been suffering from a tremor, which caused her head to move uncontrollably from side to side, adversely affecting he ..read more

U.S. News & World Report highlights quality, specialty care Providence Southern California hospitals and affiliates received more than 100 honors from the U.S. News & World Report, which released its Best Hospital ratings in July 2021. The report, which reviews hospital performance in adult, pediatric, and surgical specialties across the country, helps families find the nation’s leading care facilities. Among the top-ranking hospitals, Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica ranked #48 in the nation for Neurology and Neurosurgery out of nearly 5,000 hospitals. Patients w ..read more

U.S. News & World Report highlights quality, specialty care Ten Providence Southern California hospitals and affiliated partners in Los Angeles and Orange counties earned recognition on July 28, 2020, from U.S. News & World Report. With approximately 415 acute care hospitals in California, the 10 hospitals were rated among California’s 45 best and named as Best Regional Hospitals. High Performing Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Southern California Pacific Neuroscience Institute teams contributed to the High Performing Hospitals ranking achieved in Neurology and Neurosurger ..read more

CERVICAL DYSTONIA IS A PAINFUL CONDITION that affects the neck and causes the head to tilt to one side, or causes the head to tremble. People often think that this is due to muscular issues but actually cervical dystonia is a neurological dysfunction caused by misfiring nerves. As September is dystonia awareness month, we caught up with Dr. Melita Petrossian, Director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, to find out answers to some everyday questions that patients ask about cervical dystonia.   1. Are dystonia, cervical dystonia and spastic torticoll ..read more

September is Dystonia Awareness Month! This month, our Pacific Movement Disorders Center blog is focused on boosting awareness of dystonia. Dystonia refers to a group of distinct disorders which all share the clinical feature of involuntary abnormal muscle postures. “Dys” is Greek for abnormal, and “tonia” refers to muscle tone. In medical terms, muscle tone refers to the ability of the muscle to properly relax when at rest; it has nothing to do with muscle definition sought out by exercising. When the muscles are not properly relaxed, they may show abnormal postures, tightness or even tremor ..read more