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Home > Plastic Surgery Articles > Botox Injections for Cerebral Palsy
Botox Injections for Cerebral Palsy
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic conditions affecting body movement and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development; before, during, or shortly after birth. "Cerebral" refers to the brain and "palsy" to muscle weakness and/or poor control. Although Cerebral palsy itself will not worsen with time, secondary conditions such as muscle spasticity can develop which can possibly get better, worse or make no change at all. As many as 500,000 Americans have Cerebral Palsy, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and 4,500 babies are diagnosed with the disorder every year.
Treatment with Botox
Botox has been found to be a safe and effective treatment for reliving problems associated with Cerebral Palsy such as muscle spasticity and excessive drooling. It is a little known fact that some specialists suggest Botox injections to temporarily weaken certain muscles thus improving muscle imbalance. Botox can also be injected into the salivary glands to reduce excessive drooling. Results can generally be expected two to eight weeks after the Botox treatment
How Effective is Botox?
Botox treatment is extremely effective. One Botox treatment study preformed by L. Andrew Koman, M.D. at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center showed three times the improvement in functional ability as compared to another group who received a placebo.
Botox injections in a child suffering from Cerebral Palsy may improve a child’s range of motion, ease in stretching, tolerance to wearing braces and developmental gains such as crawling, standing, or gait changes. Early treatment is important with Botox. Botox Injections for Cerebral Palsy are most effective when used during early stages of spasticity while the child's bones are still developing and before problems with bone development and deformity set in.
In general, results are often seen quickly and side effects are minimal. Injections do need to be repeated every three to six months to maintain results and As always, results vary from patient to patient depending on the severity of the disease. However, In many cases, children need fewer shots over time, are able to lengthen the time between injections, or even better, stop the injections completely.
Botox is owned by Allergan, Inc
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Home > Plastic Surgery Articles > Botox Injections for Cerebral Palsy
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