A year on from having deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery to treat cervical dystonia, a movement disorder causing involuntary neck muscle contractions, Dave Foster, 67, can enjoy life again. (Dave is pictured above with wife Ellie after his operation.)

His symptoms, which first started in 2019 with eye flickering and muscle spasms, got so bad he had to be medically retired from his job as a train driver, a career he loved. Below, Dave struggles with muscle spasms.

Dave (pictured below on holiday with wife Ellie with a painful head tilt), of Southend-on-Sea, said:

When I was no longer fit to drive it was very hard. I used to get a buzz from driving a train and had a real sense of pride in what I did.

When I was retired, I didn’t know what to do with myself and would just sit in the chair and doze. My condition got progressively worse and I was having twitching and muscle spasms all the time, only when I was asleep would they stop. I became a recluse as I didn’t want to go anywhere. My head was tilting to one side and I felt like a reject. I didn’t like going out and people looking at me, it made me really uncomfortable.

Having initially been diagnosed with just a sprained neck, Dave tried a variety of treatments over the years. Following a correct diagnosis by a neurologist, he was given medication and then botox injections to manage his condition, before DBS was suggested to him when he was being treated at Queen’s Hospital.

DBS involves placing electrodes within the brain, linked to a neurostimulator. It’s mainly for patients with movement disorders, like Parkinson’s disease and dystonia.

Dave, whose operation was carried out by neurosurgeon Ian Low in January 2025, added:

We’d read about DBS but I’d been told I wasn’t a candidate for it. After being referred to Mr Low and his team, I can’t praise them enough, they’re absolutely brilliant.

After hours of assessments, Ellie came with me on the day I had it done, I wasn’t scared but I didn’t know what to expect. I have very little recollection of that day. They put electrodes in my brain which link to a neurostimulator in my chest, and I have an app on my phone which controls it.

Within a few months of his surgery, friends and family noticed a huge difference in Dave and his head tilt, the source of lots of social anxiety before, was almost non-existent. He’s now able to enjoy spending time out and about with his family, including his four grandchildren, aged from two to 17.

He said:

It completely changed everything and is like I’ve been given a second lease of life. It’s only when things go wrong you realise how much you appreciate the simple things.

I feel like I’ve got my life back, I play golf two to three times and week and am back socialising. Those who don’t know I have dystonia don’t know there was ever anything wrong. I have control back over my body and my independence and I’m incredibly grateful to the team who helped me get here.

Dave’s story follows that of Parkinson’s patient Linda Pearcy, 74, whose life was also transformed by Ian and his team following a different form of DBS surgery – which in Linda’s case, helped her enjoy surfing with her grandchildren again.