In this short post we’ll look at the various clinical uses of Botulinum Toxin injections or Botox®.
Blepharospasm
It’s a condition which causes excessive blinking an eye closure with difficulty opening the eyes made worse by bright light and can be very disabling causing problems with eating, conversation and even driving.
Cervical dystonia
abnormal head posturing or pulling with the tightness of neck muscles commonly associated with neck pain. This can result in twisting and turning of the head in a jerky head movement also called tremor.
Muscle Spasticity
Spasticity or muscles tightness seen in arms or legs resulting in different postures and difficulty using hands or dragging the feet when walking can be related with stroke or other neurological causes.
Dystonia
Dystonia and other causes of muscle tightness the pulling differing from spasticity due to its variable nature. It can come and go and can be seen with other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
Chronic migraines
headache that has been going on for more than three months and is occurring more than 15 days in a month. These daily headaches which are migraine in nature are associate with nausea and vomiting and sensitivity to light or noise. Remember Botulinum Toxin have not been shown to be effective for acute headaches but is highly effective for reducing the headache frequency and headache days in a month for chronic migraines.
Cosmetic injections
for the wrinkles around the eyes or on the forehead injections can be done for the lower half of the face but have to be very careful. It is highly risky and causing drooping of the corner of mouth.
Muscle injections can be made much more accurate by use of an EMG guidance, a system to detect electrical activity and to confirm presence in the right muscle before injection. Proper examination is the key in selecting the right muscle and the right dose for the injection to be successful.
All Botulinum Toxin have black box warning of possible distant spread from the area of injection to produce symptoms of botulism including swallowing and breathing difficulty. It can be life threatening is likely greater in children treated for spasticity with high doses.
Do not use alternative products which are unreliable manufacturing and you never know how much you’re getting in a vial. The results are very variable and unpredictable when using these toxins.
