Many people are unaware that BOTOX® injections are used not only to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, but also for chronic pain control, including back and nerve pain. Pain management with  BOTOX ® therapy has shown how versatile and effective this treatment is.

How does BOTOX® Therapy Treat Chronic Pain?

Whether used for pain management or cosmetic applications, the distinct advantage of BOTOX® therapy is its ability to treat a specific target area. Physicians utilizing BOTOX® treatment for chronic pain control (including back and nerve pain) are able to help patients live healthier, more comfortable lives. Using Computed Tomography (CT) to find exactly where the pain is originating from, physicians can utilize pain management techniques that specifically target those muscle or muscle groups. After the source of the pain has been located, BOTOX® therapy is administered to treat the chronic pain, controlling it by relaxing the offending muscle or muscle groups.

A migraine is a type of headache that may begin as a dull ache and then turn into a constant, throbbing pain, often felt on one side of the head. When you have a migraine, you may be sensitive to light and sound and experience nausea and/or vomiting.¹ Chronic migraine is one of the most disabling forms of headache. Patients with chronic migraine experience a headache more than 14 days of the month. This condition can greatly affect family, work, and social life, so it is important to have a variety of effective treatment options available. The FDA says Botox injections have been shown to be effective in the prevention of migraines, which are debilitating headaches that cause intense pulsing or throbbing pain and affect about 12% of Americans. With the FDA’s approval of Botox to prevent migraines, there is now a new option to reduce the days and hours spent in pain as a result of this condition.

How Botox Is Used to Treat Migraines?

Botox to treat chronic migraines is given at intervals of about 12 weeks as multiple injections around the head and neck to try to dull future headache symptoms

“Chronic migraine is a debilitating but under-recognized neurological condition. Often times, chronic migraine patients mistakenly self-diagnose their symptoms as headaches or infrequent migraine and treat them with drugs that provide rapid, but temporary, relief rather than seeking an evaluation, diagnosis and treatment from a qualified neurologist.

How does it work?

BOTOX® blocks chemical changes on nerve endings. To treat chronic migraine, BOTOX® is injected into muscles of the forehead, the side and back of the head, and the neck and shoulders to produce a partial and temporary chemical “denervation” of the muscle. This causes less contraction of the muscles around the head/face. The dosage used to treat chronic migraine is very low since the muscles injected are small.