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Key
Benefits of Botox Injections
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"Botulinum
toxin type A produces prolonged muscle relaxation which
is dose dependent and can be easily targeted to affected
muscles," |
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Botox
blocks the excessive release of a neurotransmitter called
acetylcholine from the terminal where the nerve transmits
signals to
the muscle. The affected terminals are not able to cause
muscle
contraction. Clinical effects are usually seen within
one week of
injection and typically relief endures for three to
four months or more. |
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Botox
Effective For Relief Of Incapacitating Chronic
Pain
ORLANDO, FL -- November 19, 1999 -- People who suffer from
a
variety of chronic pain syndromes may obtain relief with injections
of
Botox(R) (botulinum toxin type A), a product of Allergan,
Inc.,
according to a group of clinical studies presented at the
International
Conference 1999: Basic and Therapeutic Aspects of Botulinum
and
Tetanus Toxins held in Orlando, Florida.
"Chronic pain whether it is migraine, whiplash or back pain,
can
significantly interfere with the activities of daily living,"
said Dr. Mike
Royal, Department of Anesthesiology/Pain Management, University
of Oklahoma, Tulsa OK, who presented his study on the use
of
botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in patients suffering from
back pain.
Treatment with Botox provides an alternative therapy that
is effective
when these debilitating conditions do not respond to conventional
treatment."
"Botulinum toxin type A produces prolonged muscle relaxation
which
is dose dependent and can be easily targeted to affected muscles,"
said Dr. Marvin Schwartz, from the University of Toronto,
Pickering,
Ontario, Canada, who presented data on whiplash at Toxins
'99.
Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic, painful condition associated
with areas of increased muscle tone, which are clinically
felt as tight
bands punctuated by small areas that are very tender to pressure,
often called trigger points. Myofascial pain is often treated
with
conventional therapies such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories,
analgesics and physical therapy. These therapies however,
have
limitations and are associated with side effects.
In a retrospective study conducted at the Pain Evaluation
&
Treatment Center in Tulsa, OK, 70 percent of patients with
myofascial pain in the back and extremities who received BTX-A
injections over a two-year period reported good (15.5 percent)
to
excellent (54.5 percent) pain relief lasting an average of
2.5 to 3.6
months. Ten percent were free of pain at the one-year follow
up.
Patients experience relief from symptoms within one week after
the
first injection. The treatment was well tolerated with only
a few
patients having mild and very transient reactions. With the
BTX-A
injections, patients were able to tolerate more aggressive
therapeutic exercise.
In addition, according to a randomized double-blind placebo
controlled study conducted at the University of Toronto, Canada
and
presented at the Toxins '99 meeting, 26 patients suffering
from
whiplash associated disorder (WAD) treated with BTX-A
demonstrated a significant improvement (p<0.01) in total
range of
neck motion and subjective pain compared to the placebo
group. No side effects were reported in this study.
Additional studies on BTX-A indicated that:
-- Low back myofascial pain can be safely and effectively
treated
with BTX-A injections even when the pain does not respond
to
conventional therapies.
-- The efficacy of BTX-A is superior and longer lasting than
conventional steroid therapy for myofascial pain.
-- BTX-A may be more effective than lidocaine in the treatment
of
myofascial pain.
-- In patients with TMJ, BTX-A showed statistically significant
improvement in pain experience, function, mouth opening and
tenderness to palpation in TMJ patients.
Botox blocks the excessive release of a neurotransmitter called
acetylcholine from the terminal where the nerve transmits
signals to
the muscle. The affected terminals are not able to cause muscle
contraction. Clinical effects are usually seen within one
week of
injection and typically relief endures for three to four months
or more.
Repeat injections of Botox may be required to maintain the
desired
clinical effect.
Migraine is a condition that affects some 25 million Americans
(three times as many women as men). The condition is
characterized by moderate to severe pain, generally localized
on
one side of the head and exacerbated by movement or physical
activity. Attacks, which may last as long as four to 72 hours,
are
often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to
light and
sound. While new treatments have been developed to manage
migraine, there have been few developments in the therapies
to
prevent migraine. New data, however, suggests that Botox may
be
effective as prophylactic therapy for migraine.
A multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of
BTX-A
showed that injection of 25 U BTX-A provided significantly
reduced
the frequency and incidence of migraine and associated vomiting
for at least three months following injection. The 25 patients
that
received BTX-A measured significantly better on frequency
of
migraines, number of migraines, reduction in migraine severity,
reduction of vomiting and reduction in the number of days
in which
acute migraine medications were used.
Other studies on treatment of migraine with BTX-A indicated:
-- Intramuscular injections of BTX-A are effective in preventing
chronic tension-type headache when standard therapy fails.
-- Headache severity was significantly decreased following
intramuscular injections into the most tender pericranial
muscles
with BTX-A.
Botox works by blocking the excessive release of acetylcholine
from
the peripheral nerve terminal at the neuromuscular junction
(where
the nerve transmits signals to the muscle). The affected terminals
are inhibited from stimulating muscle contraction, resulting
in muscle
relaxation. Over a period of several months the beneficial
effects
gradually fade. Side effects of treatment with Botox are usually
transient and mild to moderate in nature.
A highly stable, purified form of botulinum toxin type A is
currently
marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Botox(R) by Allergan,
Inc. for the treatment of strabismus and blepharospasm associated
with dystonia (disorder of the eye muscle that controls blinking).
Researchers across the country are also studying its uses
in a
number of other disorders including cervical dystonia (involuntary
muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders), post-stroke spasticity,
back pain, migraine and tension headache |
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