Botox Injection

Botox is a protein called Botulinum toxin, which is the metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacteria called Clostridium Botulinum. It is considered one of the most powerful neurotoxins that were ever discovered, as well as one of the seven deadliest toxins known to man. It is a strand of this bacterium that is referred to by Doctors as BTX-A or Botulinum Toxin Type A (onabotulinumtoxintypeA). This neurotoxin is effective by blocking neuromuscular transmission through decreased acetylcholine release. It is necessary for the toxin to get inside the axon terminal at the synapse in order to cause paralysis of the muscle. By being able to cause temporary paralysis of the muscles associated with a particular synapse in the body it can have a therapeutic or cosmetic effect, especially where muscles are chronically tight or spastic, and it has been proven to be beneficial to many patients with many different diagnosis. Botox is only affective for a maximum of six months because it has also been proven that the axon terminal will begin sprouting out new axon (nerve) terminals, which results in the re-establishment of neuromuscular transmission and regulation of natural muscle movement. That is why in order to keep paralysis of the muscle and the effects that comes with it; the patient has to have ongoing injections of Botox (1, 4 and 3).

Botox is known to treat many different diagnosis that have to do with muscles and the neuromuscular junction. Botox has been used in cosmetic procedures, muscle spasms, hyperhidrosis, chronic migraines, cervical dystonia, blepharospasms, pediatric incontinence, TMJ, cerebral palsy-associated limb spasticity, and for back pain management (1, 3, and 4). All of these treatments and diagnosis have to do with the neuromuscular junction. Symptoms that are included with the use of this neurotoxin are pain and bruising at the injection site, redness,