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Stiff Person Syndrome – Facts to Know

History

Stiff person syndrome was first noticed by Woltman and Moersch in 1956. They had observed 14 different cases over more than 3 decades with electromyography. Before that time, most cases of stiff person syndrome tended to be diagnosed as psychogenic issues. In 1967, diagnostic criteria were suggested by other scientists. They recorded constant toxic contraction in persistent firing after providing patients with some muscle relaxants. These criteria were adopted later and added more factors, such as spasms, progression of stiffness, and episodic axial stiffness. [2]