Research seems to have proven something pretty amazing: Botox can offer dramatic relief from facial pain – even severe facial pain – when injected properly and in the right places.
In the original study on the topic, botulinum-A toxin – what we simply call Botox – was injected in 13 patients with a severe facial pain condition called trigeminal neuralgia. The injections were carefully placed directly into key positions in the face of the patients, and the result was a dramatic reduction in pain.
More About The Study
In fact, 4 of the 13 patients in that original study no longer needed any oral pain medication at all, and the remaining patients all reduced the amount or pain medicine they needed by over half. That’s especially hopeful information for sufferers of trigeminal neuralgia since drugs aren’t always very helpful for them, according to neurologists familiar with the research. Also, some patients with the condition choose to avoid pain drugs because of unpleasant side effects and the possibility of pain becoming more intense and lasting longer.
To determine how much Botox should be used for this kind of treatment, an open-label study was conducted involving 13 patients to determine the minimal dosage. All of these 13 patients met the criteria for trigeminal neuralgia established by the International Headache Society. Four patients experienced symptoms in just one branch of the nerve while others had symptoms in two or more branches.
Patients were asked to report how much of their regular medication they needed before beginning the study and then at 60 days after having the injections. All patients started with severe pain and improved.
The amount of the dosage depended on how much surface pain was reported and ranged from a low of just 6.83 units to as much as 9.11 units.
Pain was shown to gradually reduce, and the Botox injections reached a peak of effectiveness 20 days after treatment. After 60 days, 4 patients no longer needed pain medication at all. The rest had reduced medication by half or more. There were 3 patients in the study who took more than one drug before the Botox treatment, and they all reduced to one drug at a lower dosage.
The study did not involve a long enough time frame to determine how long the Botox treatments last. But later studies have proven that the results from the original study are sound and that results can be longlasting.
Understanding The Condition
Trigeminal neuralgia is just one of the many medical conditions that may benefit from Botox treatment. Others include eyelid and ocular muscle issues, blepharospasm, dystonia, strabismus and more.
Also called simply TN, trigeminal neuralgia is known to be one the most painful human medical afflictions. The disorder of the fifth cranial nerve causes extreme, sudden and sporadic burning or shock-like sensations at the nerve’s branches in the lips, nose, face, eyes, forehead, scalp and jaws. Pain can last from only a moment to as much as two minutes. Attacks may happen rapidly and frequently over a two-hour period before subsiding. Some patients have a form of the condition called TN2 which involves constant pain at a lower intensity.
Dr. Katz understands that not all trigeminal neuralgia patients are alike, and he indicates that the sites injected for trigeminal neuralgia vary according to know trigger zones that differ from one patient to the next. It’s important, he adds, that injections are only given so that there are no motor side effects and no severe distortion of facial esthetics or changes in function. Any possible unwanted impacts can be reduced or even prevented by injecting 0.025ml of concentrated Botox at the trigger zone.
Great for aesthetics and life-changing for therapeutic purposes, Botox is a wonder drug for some people. And the people who choose to offer Botox injections are often seen as miracle workers by those who can find relief no other way.
If you are a medical professional interested in learning to treat your patients with Botox, call (858) 550-9533 today.