Writer's cramp is provoked by specific tasks, including writing, and is characterised by often painful muscular spasm in the hand of the writing arm. The resulting pain and contortions usually make writing extremely difficult.
The researchers studied 12 people with writer's cramp, 12 with peripheral nerve disease, and 12 with assorted neurological problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome, that would have affected their hand movement and dexterity. All patients were of similar age and were matched for gender. Each patient underwent validated psychometric testing by trained psychiatrists to find out if they exhibited obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Patients with writer's cramp clocked up a score almost five times as high as any of the other patients for obsessive-compulsive symptoms. These were mainly expressed in zealous cleaning and ordering activities.
The authors suggest that their findings could undermine previous notions that obsessive-compulsive symptoms result from the distress of the cramp itself. Rather, they suggest that both derive from neural dysfunction in the same area of the brain.