Botox

When you hear the word “Botox” (clinically known as botulinum toxin), you probably think of it as a cosmetic solution for severe crow’s feet and frown lines.

However, at Associates in Neurology, this FDA-approved injectable treatment is used as a treatment for a number of neurologic and musculoskeletal conditions, including:

• Chronic migraines. Botox temporarily paralyzes muscle activity. So, when the medication is injected into muscles of the forehead, scalp, neck, or shoulders, it deactivates pain receptors in the muscles’ nerves and blocks the pain signals that the nerves send to the brain.
• Dystonia. This neurologic syndrome is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions of opposing muscles that may have resulted from twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Botox injections work to block the signals that are sent from the nerve cells to the muscles.
• Hemifacial Spasms. Your doctor can inject Botox into the affected facial muscles, thereby temporarily alleviating those spasms.
• Blepharospasm. Botox is used to treated abnormal spasm of your eyelids.
• Spasmodic Dysphonia. This refers to a disorder in which the muscles that generate your voice experience periods of spasms that interrupt your speech and make it difficult for others to understand what you are saying. Botox disables those spasms.
• Spastic Hemiplegia. This neuromuscular condition causes the muscles on one side of your body to constantly contract, impairing your mobility. Botox blocks the chemical signal between nerves and muscles that make the muscles tighten, providing relief from spasticity symptoms such as pain and stiffness.
• Spasmodic Torticollis. This painful neurological movement disorder causes your neck to involuntarily turn to one side or the other, upward, and/or downward. Botox helps relieve the symptoms until the condition naturally improves.