You may not have heard of Dystonia, pronounced diss-tone-ee-uh. It is similar to Parkinson's Disease but it's not fatal. The condition causes muscles to spasm and even twist.
Medicine and surgery and physical therapy can help. Tomasz Grass is a local physical therapist at Beyond Physical Therapy who explains there is no cure.
"Ease the effect of the Dystonia rather than solve the Dystonia. So far there is no cure for Dystonia. Everybody - the physicians, the therapists - working with the symptoms and the effects of dystonia," he said.
Now one of his former patients has written a book about her condition. Her account is not only medical but also spiritual.
"I was healed," Robin Killough said.
Her mother's experience with answered prayer years ago inspired Robin to publish a memoir a few months ago: Promises Kept.
The book begins with her childhood in Maryville. Her left foot started turning inward.
"During this time from seven to 13 when I was diagnosed my mother took me to neurologists, orthopedists, all kind of doctors to find out what was wrong with me because I was falling all the time," she said.
Eventually, a specialist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital is Memphis diagnosed her with Dystonia. The doctor recommended a specific medicine called levodopa.
The night before she started taking the medicine her mother prayed to God.
"She said God please let this medicine work for Robin and he said I will. And the voices between God and mother just kept getting stronger and stronger and stronger in prayer form. And finally He said I will but if I do you have to tell people," Robin said. "If I do will you tell people? She said yes."
Robin said her mother never told anyone.
"The next day when I took the first pill I was ok. And I've been ok ever since I've taken the medicine."
She could walk.
Robin still takes medicine to combat the symptoms of Dystonia and over the years has embraced physical therapy. She still has Dystonia in her lower left leg - there is no cure - but she lives a normal life.
With the help of professional author Leah Downing she is sharing her story to raise awareness of Dystonia.
"I want people to know about it. that there's hope. There's recovery. You don't have to live with it and not get help," she said.
And she is sharing the story to follow up on her mother's prayer.
"That's why it's called Promises Kept."
Robin said, "I can forgive my mother and can finish the story of how she promised to tell everyone that God healed me. I am fulfilling that promise right now."