By . Emma Innes . A woman who was told she would have to hang up her running shoes due to a rare neurological condition has found a way to continue training - by running backwards. Laura Cattivera, 46, from California, has focal dystonia, a condition which affects a muscle or group of muscles causing involuntary spasms and abnormal postures. Athletes and musicians are prone to the condition as a result of overusing muscles when carrying out a specific movement. Laura Cattivera, 46, has overcome a rare muscle condition by learning to run backwards . But Ms Cattivera has discovered that if she runs backwards the spasms do not impede her training. ‘I always had a passion for running and nothing could stop me. Not even a rare neurological disease. I have always been a runner,’ Ms Cattivera said. The Californian had a passion for the sport her entire life, and successfully competed on the Princeton track team, even qualifying for the Olympic trials in 1992. But in 1989, she began noticing some physical abnormalities that mysteriously crept up on her while she was sprinting. During the Olympic trials, these strange symptoms caused Ms Cattivera to repeatedly bump into the barrier during the race, and she finished second to last at the event. ‘I use to feel like it's a flutter in my leg at the end of the runs. My leg wasn't moving correctly through running,’ she said. Ms Cattivera has focal dystonia which means she experiences leg spasms if she runs normally . Ms Cattivera's was determined not to give up running so started looking into possible solutions . ‘I went to a million different types of doctors. I had a MRI, a CT scan, orthopaedics and so on.’ As the condition progressed, Ms Cattivera found the focal dystonia caused her left leg to move involuntarily and spasmodically to one side, preventing her from running in a straight line. ‘If I don't stop running, my left knee is facing out and my foot is landing outside the sole of the shoe,’ she said. Focal dystonia can be treated with Botox injections, which prevents the symptoms by paralysing the affected muscle, but in Ms Cattivera’s case, the affected muscles are too deep to isolate. She also tried drugs for Parkinson's disease to banish her symptoms - but their effectiveness would wear off over time. Ms Cattivera and her doctor discovered she can still run backwards as it uses different motions . Ms Cattivera is now even organising a backwards running competition in California . Determined not to give up running, Ms Cattivera tried experimenting with new ways of running, initially moving in a zigzag pattern. But it wasn't until she met Dr Nicholas Szumski that she hit upon her ingenious backwards technique. She said: ‘I went to a million types of doctors and by Dr Nicholas Szumski I was suggested to run backwards. So I tried it and it gave me something that was really working and was a new adventure.’ Dr Szumski added: ‘Dystonia is often associated very much with one repeated motion over and over. So coming up with a way that doesn't use that motion may give you a way around it.’ Ms Cattivera now runs with a smile along on the sand around Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, and has even teamed up with Dr Szumski to organise a backwards running race in Manhattan Beach to raise awareness of focal dystonia in runners. Dystonia is a disorder which causes involuntary muscle contracts and abnormal postures. The movements may be painful and some patients also have a tremor. There are several different forms of dystonia - including focal dystonia, which just affects one part of the body. Dystonia is a disorder which causes involuntary muscle contracts and abnormal postures - focal dystonia affects just one part of the body . Focal dystonia often only affects one specific action while allowing others to occur unimpeded. For example, a musician may have dystonia when using her hand to play an instrument, but not when using the same hand to write. In some cases, the condition becomes progressively worse while in others it is stable. It is not known exactly what causes dystonia - many cases do not have any clear cause. However, it is thought it can be triggered by a defective gene or by certain medications. Dystonia can develop at any age and there are currently no medications that can prevent or cure it. In some cases, Botox injections can help by preventing the muscle contractions. Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke .
Laura Cattivera has focal dystonia which causes involuntary spasms .
It affects one of her legs when she runs meaning she can't travel straight .
She did not want to give up running so started looking for a solution .
46-year-old discovered she can run backwards without suffering spasms .
By . Emma Innes . A woman who was told she would have to hang up her running shoes due to a rare neurological condition has found a way to continue training - by running backwards. Laura Cattivera, 46, from California, has focal dystonia, a condition which affects a muscle or group of muscles causing involuntary spasms and abnormal postures. Athletes and musicians are prone to the condition as a result of overusing muscles when carrying out a specific movement. Laura Cattivera, 46, has overcome a rare muscle condition by learning to run backwards . But Ms Cattivera has discovered that if she runs backwards the spasms do not impede her training. ‘I always had a passion for running and nothing could stop me. Not even a rare neurological disease. I have always been a runner,’ Ms Cattivera said. The Californian had a passion for the sport her entire life, and successfully competed on the Princeton track team, even qualifying for the Olympic trials in 1992. But in 1989, she began noticing some physical abnormalities that mysteriously crept up on her while she was sprinting. During the Olympic trials, these strange symptoms caused Ms Cattivera to repeatedly bump into the barrier during the race, and she finished second to last at the event. ‘I use to feel like it's a flutter in my leg at the end of the runs. My leg wasn't moving correctly through running,’ she said. Ms Cattivera has focal dystonia which means she experiences leg spasms if she runs normally . Ms Cattivera's was determined not to give up running so started looking into possible solutions . ‘I went to a million different types of doctors. I had a MRI, a CT scan, orthopaedics and so on.’ As the condition progressed, Ms Cattivera found the focal dystonia caused her left leg to move involuntarily and spasmodically to one side, preventing her from running in a straight line. ‘If I don't stop running, my left knee is facing out and my foot is landing outside the sole of the shoe,’ she said. Focal dystonia can be treated with Botox injections, which prevents the symptoms by paralysing the affected muscle, but in Ms Cattivera’s case, the affected muscles are too deep to isolate. She also tried drugs for Parkinson's disease to banish her symptoms - but their effectiveness would wear off over time. Ms Cattivera and her doctor discovered she can still run backwards as it uses different motions . Ms Cattivera is now even organising a backwards running competition in California . Determined not to give up running, Ms Cattivera tried experimenting with new ways of running, initially moving in a zigzag pattern. But it wasn't until she met Dr Nicholas Szumski that she hit upon her ingenious backwards technique. She said: ‘I went to a million types of doctors and by Dr Nicholas Szumski I was suggested to run backwards. So I tried it and it gave me something that was really working and was a new adventure.’ Dr Szumski added: ‘Dystonia is often associated very much with one repeated motion over and over. So coming up with a way that doesn't use that motion may give you a way around it.’ Ms Cattivera now runs with a smile along on the sand around Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, and has even teamed up with Dr Szumski to organise a backwards running race in Manhattan Beach to raise awareness of focal dystonia in runners. Dystonia is a disorder which causes involuntary muscle contracts and abnormal postures. The movements may be painful and some patients also have a tremor. There are several different forms of dystonia - including focal dystonia, which just affects one part of the body. Dystonia is a disorder which causes involuntary muscle contracts and abnormal postures - focal dystonia affects just one part of the body . Focal dystonia often only affects one specific action while allowing others to occur unimpeded. For example, a musician may have dystonia when using her hand to play an instrument, but not when using the same hand to write. In some cases, the condition becomes progressively worse while in others it is stable. It is not known exactly what causes dystonia - many cases do not have any clear cause. However, it is thought it can be triggered by a defective gene or by certain medications. Dystonia can develop at any age and there are currently no medications that can prevent or cure it. In some cases, Botox injections can help by preventing the muscle contractions. Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke .
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