How To Treat Dystonia

Botox Injections

Botulinum toxin (Botox) is a protein the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces that is neurotoxic to human tissues. Individuals affected by dystonia may be able to treat their symptoms using botox injections. An individual affected by dystonia has muscles that contract uncontrollably and involuntarily. These movements can affect a single muscle, a localized muscle group, or it can be systemic or affect all or most of the muscles in the individual's body. Botox works to treat these movements by attaching to the end of the nerve, where a muscle and nerve join together. It stops a chemical called acetylcholine from being released by the nerve into the muscle. Without the release of acetylcholine, the muscle cannot contract. Botox is delivered to the affected individual by an injection into the muscle affected by dystonia to alleviate the debilitating symptoms it is causing. The effect of botox injections is permanent for between two and three months following the injection until the individual's body forms new synaptic contacts in the area of the injection.

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