Botox injections block certain chemical signals from nerves that cause muscles to contract. The most common use of these injections is to relax the facial muscles that cause frown lines and other facial wrinkles. Botox injections can also be used to ease symptoms of some health conditions.
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Some conditions we administer therapeutic Botox for include:
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Chronic Migraine. Botox injections can help reduce how often you get a migraine. This treatment is used mainly for people who have headaches 15 or more days a month. When you get serious headaches that often, the condition is called chronic migraine. Treatment is needed about every three months to maintain the benefits.
Botox® Therapeutic Treatments
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Sweating. Botox can be used for a condition in which people sweat a lot even when they're not hot or working up a sweat. It's called excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis.
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Bruxism (teeth grinding and jaw clenching). Botox can help minimize clenching and relax the muscles, which will help relieve the tension, headaches, and jaw pain you have been experiencing.
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TMJ disorder. Botox can help relieve the symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. It can help to relax the jaw, reduce pain, and enable the person to open their mouth fully.
Botox® For Chronic Migraine
How Does Botox Work For Chronic Migraine?
In chronic migraine, we know now that sensory nerves become inflamed and hypersensitive. The inflammation is caused by different molecules that may be released by the sensory nerves. Botox blocks this, and that has a calming effect on the pain.
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​Nerves communicate by releasing molecules to their targets: the muscles, the sweat glands but also the sensory organs of the skin. The molecules released bind to receptors and induce actions: muscle contraction, sweat production, and sensory modulation. Botox prevents nerves from communicating with their targets. If the target is a muscle, it will stop contracting. If the target is a sweat gland, it will stop producing sweat!
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Should Botox be used for any person with migraine?
No. Botox is approved only for Chronic Migraine. Chronic migraine is the most severe form of migraine. These people have more than 15 days of headaches a month for at least three months, 8 or more of which are migraines. The other days can be «tension-type», as the severity of headache varies in Chronic Migraine.
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Unfortunately, Botox does not work for people who have a less severe form of migraine called episodic migraine.
What are the expected benefits of Botox therapy?
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We look for an improvement of more than 50% in the frequency and intensity of migraines. If you have 20 days per month, your 50% response would be 10 days per month (not zero).
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The attacks are less severe
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The attacks are easier to control with acute treatments
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The «baseline headache» or «baseline neck pain» are less intense
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The tolerance to triggers is higher
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The person functions better overall