Did you know that Botox is now being used as an extremely effective, minimally invasive treatment, for various types of long-term pain?
Here at the London Pain Clinic, our world-class Pain Doctors are well known for using procedures and advising treatment inline with the latest research. With regard to the “Application of Botulinum Toxin [Botox] in Pain Management,” the National Institutes of Health have published the findings of research on the latter. This states:
“Botulinum toxin has been used for the treatment of many clinical disorders by producing temporary skeletal muscle relaxation. In pain management, botulinum toxin has demonstrated an analgesic effect by reducing muscular hyperactivity, but recent studies suggest this neurotoxin could have direct analgesic [pain relieving] mechanisms different from its neuromuscular actions. At the moment, botulinum toxin is widely investigated and used in many painful diseases such as myofascial syndrome, headaches, arthritis, and neuropathic pain” [1]
Did You Know?
Botox works by blocking specific nerve signals which control muscle activity. To that end, our Pain Doctors can inject Botox in order to relax our patients’ chronically contracted muscles and treat our patients’ uncontrolled muscle contractions.
The Low-Down
Our Pain Specialists frequently recommend non-surgical Botox treatment as part of a patient’s Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan to ameliorate a broad spectrum of pain issues. This protocol is drawn up after you have had an initial online or in-person consultation with one of our Pain Doctors. During your consultation, they will review your medical history, and ask you various pertinent questions. They will then arrange for you to have any necessary examination, tests and scans (if you have not already had them). After this, they will be able to provide you with an accurate diagnosis, and determine the best multi-faceted treatment options. The latter may include conventional treatment, innovative injectables (such as Botox), and the latest cutting-edge therapies.
So How Can Botox Help My Pain Issues?
In a nutshell, Botox injectables have been shown to relieve pain by relaxing the muscles. – And this is why the therapeutic use of Botox has become an important tool for optimum pain management.
Botox (also referred to as botulinum toxin type A), is actually a toxin which is generated by the bacterium known as clostridium botulinum. When it is in diluted form, small quantities can be injected into particular muscles in order to provide pain relief.
“Botox has been found to block chemicals that carry pain signals to the nerves around your head and neck, making it an effective pain management tool for disorders such as myofascial syndrome, headaches, migraines, arthritis and chronic back and neck pain. Because of this, Botox treatment is an alternative solution to manage pain for disorders that don’t respond to other types of pain treatment, like oral medication” [2]
Types of Pain Which Can be Treated With Botox
These include (but are not limited to):
- Long-term back pain
- Chronic neck pain
- Arthritis
- Nerve pain
- Muscle spasms
- Migraines
- Tension headache
Note: Your Pain Consultant can administered Botox in a specific area thus directly targeting the muscles involved. Because of this, patients are able to avoid the side effects linked to systemic treatments (such as the tiredness associated with oral pain pharmaceuticals).
As the Botox injections only take a short time to administer, it is easy for our patients to schedule an appointment in their lunch hour or after work.
References
[1]. Sim WS. Application of botulinum toxin in pain management. Korean J Pain. 2011 Mar;24(1):1-6. As cited by the NIH National Library of Medicine.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3049971/
[2]. Jefferson Health (2023). “How Botox is Used for Pain Management and Physical Rehab.”
