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Botox Offers Relief For Back Pain
Drug Eliminates Muscle Spasms
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Doctors say they have found a new use
for Botox -- one that can do wonders for chronic back pain.
Doctor Robert Krug is with the Rehabilitation Hospital of Connecticut.
He says the Botox paralyzes the muscles, stopping spasms.
"We're not knocking out the entire muscle function, but
simply just relaxing the muscles," Krug said.
The treatment works well for patients with soft tissue, muscle
strain pain, and people with neurological pain linked to a herniated
disc or spinal stenosis.
"It allows the patient to remain functional," Krug
added. "It can keep them off narcotics, and it keeps them
in the workforce."
The risk of causing excessive weakness in the back is low.
"With the back muscles, they're so large and so powerful
that I've never seen that as a problem with the amount we're using,"
Krug said.
Botox typically offers relief for at least three to four months.
During that time, the patient undergoes rehabilitation to break
them out of the chronic pain cycle.
Most insurance companies cover the treatment.
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