Botox for Arm Pain Q&A

Yes, you can use Botox for arm pain. Of the four different types of pain: acute, chronic, nociceptive (a result of physical damage to the body, such as a sports injury or arthritis) and neuropathic (typically caused by a chronic or progressive nerve disease but can also be the result of an injury or infection), Botox is often used in the treatment of nociceptive and neuropathic pain, specifically pain involving the muscles, but it can also be used to help relieve acute or chronic pain. When current treatments, either medicinal or non-medicinal, have proved ineffective Botox injections can be used as an alternative therapy.  If your arm pain has not been effectively treated using conventional therapies, Botox injections could be a treatment you may wish to consider.

Botox works by blocking certain signals sent from the nerves to the muscles.  This action causes the relaxation or paralysis of the affected muscle, which results in pain relief that can last for a period of three to four months. Botox is used to treat pain that involves the body’s neuromuscular system, which basically means that it is effective in treating those conditions that adversely affect the way the nervous system and muscles work together to help the body function properly. 

The effects of Botox on skeletal muscle are both short-term and long-term. The initial effects of a Botox injection are well known, i.e., the muscle is prevented from contracting, resulting in it relaxing and, in turn, easing pain. The injections usually start working within 10–14 days and can last from three to four months. Since the initial injection is not a ‘one-hit wonder’, subsequent treatments are needed to achieve long-term pain relief. Because of this repeated usage, there is a risk that people can, over time, experience a loss of muscle control and a decrease in strength in the muscle being treated. It can be likened to the muscles weakening in a person who hasn’t used an arm or leg for several years. Similarly, repeated injections of Botox in the same muscle can cause weakness, but this would typically only be seen after a number of injections have been administered over the span of a few years. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of Botox therapy in pain management, or to see if it is an appropriate course of treatment for you, contact us or schedule an appointment today! The kind and compassionate professionals at Modern Pain Management are experienced in managing many types of pain with Botox therapy, and serve patients from Houston TX, Sugar Land TX, Pearland TX, Missouri City TX, Stafford TX, Jersey Village TX, and Richmond TX.