Exploring with Botox

Botox has increasingly come an important treatment in the world of migraine, even though we’re still trying to understand why it works.  But there’s a newer way that Botox is being used to treat migraine.

It seems that Botox injections affect muscles in the face in such a way that the migraine is relieved.  So, researchers have tried giving patients Botox injections in order to find out which muscles are making the difference.  Next, the patient undergoes surgery in which the offending muscles are detached.  The study found a 92% improvement in the frequency, intensity and duration of migraine symptoms.  For a third of the patients, symptoms completely disappeared!

This may seem like a rather drastic approach to those who have never experienced migraine, and yes, it is drastic.  But it does give us more information about why migraine acts the way it does.  And this may be a new line of treatment for those with constant, severe migraine headache and other symptoms.  This study was published in the January 2005 issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal.