• Normal neurologic exam away from the instrument (i.e. no evidence of focal peripheral weakness, sensory deficit, reflex asymmetry) |
• Immediate occurrence of dystonic signs with playing |
• Dystonic movements are worse with specific techniques (musical passages such as scales vs. octaves, certain keys worse than others, ascending vs. descending passages) |
• Constancy of the pattern of involuntary movements over time; each time the patient plays, the dystonic pattern looks similar |
• Presence of a sensory geste |
• Presence of mirror dystonia |
• If dystonia is present in other hand tasks or at rest, the dystonia triggered by playing the instrument is usually more severe |