Botox: Smoothing Wrinkles and Easing Neck Pain

Around here, the beauty benefits of Botox are well known. It’s been a long-time treatment for lines and wrinkles but you may surprised to learn that Botox is also being tested as a treatment for medical issues like bladder leakage and several painful conditions, such as migraine headaches. Now, a new study has found that Botox injections may also soothe chronic neck and shoulder muscle pain.

"Botox is in a class of medications called neurotoxins that, when injected into muscles, blocks the nerve signals that cause the tightening of muscle, leading to muscle relaxation. Thus, Botox may offer advantages over traditional therapies for myofascial pain syndrome due to its prolonged and sustained effects," said study author Dr. Andrea Nicol, director of research at the UCLA Pain Management Center.

For the study, 118 patients with pain lasting for over two months who had already tried other pain medications were given either Botox (botulinum toxin type A) or a placebo injection. The researchers discovered that the patients who received Botox injections had significantly less pain than those receiving the placebo. 

According to the researchers, the findings suggest that Botox may be a worthwhile option for people suffering from chronic neck and shoulder pain that hasn't been relieved with traditional therapies like anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids and muscle relaxants, physical therapy and behavioral modification.