Shelby, a child born with cerebral palsy, lacked the mobility that a fully functioning two year old possesses. Shelby's pediatric orthopedist at Children's Hospital in San Diego suggested Botox treatments.
The treatments helped Shelby, and her mother, Renee, said the Botox injections rescued her daughter—just like a fairy tale. The question is how?
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a disability resulting from abnormal brain development and damage to the brain before or during birth. inhibiting a child's motor ability. The disability inhibits a child's motor ability and can cause lack of muscle coordination, spasms and speech difficulty.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, as many as 500,000 Americans have the disorder and 4,500 babies are diagnosed with the condition yearly.
Cerebral palsy is incurable, but there are many treatments available to make life easier for those afflicted with the condition. Cerebral palsy patients can receive physical therapy, behavioral therapy, drug therapy, oral medication, braces for mobility, surgery to lengthen the muscles and now Botox injections.
Botox as a Viable Treatment
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), Botulinum Toxin A (aka Botox) has been used to treat the effects of cerebral palsy for years. Injections are typically successful in treating muscles spasms, walking on the toes (tiptoe walking) and even drooling.
When Botox is injected into the muscle of a patient with cerebral palsy, it causes the muscle to relax, which in turn decreases muscle spasms and stiffness. Botox, in conjunction with therapy and casting, can be a viable option to help relax the muscles.
About a half hour before the Botox procedure, the skin of the patient is numbed and Botox is injected into the affected muscle with a small needle. The procedure is easy and painless and the effects of the treatment can be seen anywhere from three to 14 days and last between three and six months. Also, Botox treatment has a low rate of side effects, which is a real plus.
Studies on Botox and Cerebral Palsy Patients
In 1993, the first report came out on Botox to treat muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. In 1998, L. Andrew Koman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Brenner Children's Hospital, and a team of researchers from Wake Forrest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina were the first worldwide to use Botox to treat cerebral palsy.
“Less then 20 percent of (cerebral palsy patients) can be helped with surgery. This non-surgical intervention is the one way to improve functional outcomes for these patients, decreases pain and facilitates care,” Koman said.
Koman and his research team injected 73 cerebral palsy patients with Botox or placebo to see if Botox injections would help the muscles in the patient's upper extremities—whether Botox would enable them to grab objects and participate in sports and other daily activities they weren't able to do.
According to the results, patients in the Botox group showed three times the improvement in their functional ability compared to patients in the group that received the placebo.
“This is a huge help not only to the patient but to the caregiver, who may have trouble dressing the patient or getting the child into the car,” Koman stated. “Many of the patients come back into the office asking for additional injections because they are thrilled with the results.”
Koman said that Botox injections work well in conjunction with other treatments since once the muscles are relaxed, the patient can receive therapy to strengthen the weak muscles.
Shelby and her mother Renee can attest that Botox increased Shelby's mobility and functioning skills. Shelby now reads to her Mom, plays her toy piano and even takes on the staircase all by herself.
(Article by: Donna Corrado)
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