Botox injections

My mom had them in her neck and upper back. She would repeat them every six months or so when the aching came back. Finally the headache and upper back pains were just gone. The headaches were the most amazing because she suffered them for many years. She never had injections in her forehead but along the cervical spine.
Once she had injections from a fellow who injected too much and she couldn't lift her head up for almost a month. It's fairly simple procedure. The doctors would find the muscle tightness with their fingers and inject tiny amounts down the spin to T3. It could take up to 15 minutes. Sometimes they use topical lidocaine, but it still stings a little. I hope it works for you

I haven't had Botox injections for pain personally. However, my dad had a stroke and he has left side hemiplegia--significant weakness and loss of coordination on his left side. His left arm gets spastic--so much muscle tension that from his neck to shoulder to elbow to hand gets all curled up and really tight. They use Botox for the muscle spasticity. I'm not sure if that's the same idea that you're considering.

It's been really effective. The spasticity is not much of an issue now, but I suspect he'll need repeated doses (because with the stroke the ability to progress is limited). He's had it done twice and it either hadn't worn off by the time he had his second round, or the initial dose gave him more leeway to do more exercises and maybe now it's not as tense. He says he has less pain. One risk (other than the Botox spreading and affecting other muscles unintentionally) is it can cause weakness and eventually loss of tone in the muscles since you may not be activating them as much, so he still has to be mindful of doing his exercises or he will lose more muscle mass.

Because his indication was for spasticity, they used EMG to to make sure they were getting the spots with the most tightness.

I've used Botox for hyperhidrosis. I think it's worth a try if you can find a provider you're comfortable with and especially if your insurance covers it because Botox is expensive.

I receive Botox in my head and neck for migraines. It is a tremendous help.

Had them in my head - 2 rounds. Useless. Remember, it is a toxin. Do you want all those chemicals in your body?

Unrefined, in nature, it is toxic, as are other prescription medications or even other “natural” substances if they’re not used properly. A benefit for my family (my dad and I both regularly get injections) over other medications is that Botox is not systemic, so it acts only acts in the area we’re trying to treat. It’s restricted to the muscles or nerves we need to address.

We’re both using it for pain and/or nervous system conditions. Botox as a neuromodulator is better for us because we’re highly sensitive to other medications that are more systemic and influence a whole bunch of other areas in the body, which is why things like muscle relaxants, gabapentin, NSAIDs, antidepressants for pain, can sometimes cause unwanted side effects. I’m not saying it’s “bad” to use those medications or better or worse, it just depends on what works best and is safest.

Botox can be a great option for people with these conditions and/or are sensitive to medications and have few other options in some cases (i.e. for hyperhidrosis or spasticity from stroke, the reasons were taking it, treatment is very limited and significantly affects our quality of life). For us, weighing pros and cons, Botox had a net benefit.

My severe neck muscle spasms began 40+ years ago. I tried PT, anti-inflammatories, biologicals, etc…
nothing helped. About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos and Cervical Dystonia and started Botox treatment. It changed my life! Pain is finally under control.

Sadly most of us that are diagnosed with serious conditions are given chemical prescriptions to survive. Pain or poison? Life or death? Not much of a choice for most of us.

Thanks for sharing that! I also have HSD (Hypermobility spectrum disorder but some of my PTs think I could qualify for hEDS) and I’ve not heard of using Botox for this purpose. Do you get repeat injections?

According to my doctors, Cervical Dystonia is a common comorbidity with Ehlers Danlos patients. My neurologist gives me shots every three months.