Botox not just for the pain of wrinkles
by: Jeffrey Wolf and Kim Christiansen
KUSA - Every three months or so, Caroline Chavez gets Botox injections, but it is not because she is worried about wrinkles.
"It's a neurological disorder that controls the muscles in your body," said Chavez.
She feels the pain in her neck and sees the problems in her hand caused by dystonia. The disorder causes the muscles to contract or spasm.
"Injecting selected muscles with butolin toxins relaxes one group of the muscles so that person has relief of pain and they can function," said Dr. Rai Kakkar, Chavez's neurologist. "As a neurologist I've been doing it for several years."
Botox is a powerful toxin, but Kakkar says it is a safe and often overlooked choice for pain relief.
"If you look at the cost of the medications and the side effects, I think it's a better evil to have injections and be better than swallowing medications and getting other expensive procedures," said Kakkar.
"I don't like medications. I don't like injections, but I know it's worth it, because it does relieve the pain," said Chavez.
The injections go into the muscles that spasm in areas close to Chavez's forehead, since her condition also causes serious headaches.
"It's (Botox) also underutilized for several other painful conditions in the body," said Kakkar. "The reasons may be they may have difficulty getting approval from their insurance carriers."
Kakkar blames the cosmetic image of Botox for the problems with insurance coverage.
Kakkar says Botox can help relieve headaches as well as chronic pain. It is also used for the treatment of involuntary sweating.
The downside to Botox is that it is a toxin and it is only temporary. The injections last about three months.
Side effects may include bruising and pain at the injection site, or dry mouth if the dose is considered high.
Chavez says it is the best choice for her dystonia.
"It's not curable, but it's treatable. So as far as I know this will be for the rest of my life," she said.
There are several ongoing studies related to Botox for pain relief.