Make Pain a Thing of the Past – botox – Physician Partners of America

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Dr. Edrick Lopez Treats Migraines with Botox-

We all know Botox– or botulinum toxin – to be a beautifying procedure. However, a second purpose has come to light and people everywhere are finding relief for their chronic pain. Doctors have found that for a person suffering from chronic back pain, neck pain, facial pain, or even migraines, a visit to Botox specialist can provide quick and effective relief from pain that just doesn’t respond well to other treatments.

Dr. Edrick Lopez, a Harvard-trained intervention pain management specialist with Physician Partners of America’s (PPOA) McKinney, Texas location, takes a multidisciplinary approach to pain relief ranging from neck, back, and joint injections to Botox for migraine headaches and regenerative medicine.

How Does it Work?

Botox is used for multiple purposed and to many, is viewed as one of modern medicine’s most fascinating treatments. A protein produced by certain types of bacteria, botulinum toxin, in its natural form, is one of the most toxic substances known to man. The toxin itself works by blocking a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which forces muscles to relax; in large doses Botox causes parts of the body to shut down completely, but when administered in small doses by a trained professional, it relaxes muscles safely and locally to smooth out wrinkles and to target muscular sources of chronic pain. Decades of research and careful refinement of the toxin has allowed scientists to start using this substance for good, and today Botox is used safely in millions of procedures, both medical and cosmetic.

What Conditions Can Botox Treat?

Because it relaxes muscles, pain management doctors at PPOA’s clinics, along with Dr. Lopez, find that Botox is particularly effective at treating chronic pain that is muscular in origin. Botox can be especially helpful when treating conditions such as whiplash, TMJ, and lower back pain. In these cases, Botox forces the muscles to relax, allowing joints to return to their natural position without pain.

“Botox is a great alternative for patients who suffer from chronic migraines,” says Dr. Lopez. “It can significantly enhance the quality of life of these patients by reducing the intensity and the frequency of their migraine headaches.”

Botox is also FDA approved as a treatment for chronic migraines. Regular injections at specific sites around the head and neck can create long-term relief for patients who suffer migraines more than 15 days out of the year, and for patients who have tried and failed at least 2 different preventative medications.

Injections to treat chronic migraines are usually administered once every 12 weeks, and, as with other Botox-treated pain, patients usually start to feel positive effects within a few days.

“I love that we can offer this therapy that can so markedly help our patients with chronic migraines.” – Dr. Edrick Lopez

Contact us today to see if you might be a good candidate for Botox.

Headaches are a common ailment, but they can be quite debilitating. A bad headache can make it hard to do your job, drive your kids around or simply get through your day.

If one headache can cause such a disruption, a series of them can be even more difficult to deal with. If you get intense headaches that seem to come in a pattern, you may be dealing with cluster headaches.

What are Cluster Headaches?

Cluster headaches are recurring headaches that may come around each day on a weekly or even monthly basis. The pain of the headaches is often intense and may occur on one side of your head or near one of your eyes.

How Often do Cluster Headaches Occur?

The frequency of cluster headaches may vary. The clusters may hit for only a week or may continue for months. When the clusters pass, you may have months or possibly years of peace before they return.

Some people may experience cluster headaches on a seasonal basis, so it can be easy to mistake them for allergy-relatedheadaches if you are unfamiliar with them.

While the cluster period is going on, the headaches tend to take place each day, sometimes more than once a day. The headaches frequently happen at the same time of the day, often at night when you are in bed.

What are the Symptoms of Cluster Headaches?

Here are some of the symptoms that may accompany cluster headaches:

  • Intense pain, typically located near one eye, though they could impact other parts of your head, face, shoulders or neck
  • Teary eyes
  • Droopy eyelid
  • Red eyes on the side of a headache
  • Swollen eyes on the side of a headache
  • Feeling restless
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Flushed or pale face
  • Some sweating

What Causes Cluster Headaches?

Though the exact cause of cluster headaches is unknown, the nerves near your eye are believed to be a factor. That is why the pain is sometimes located near your eyes.

Men may be more likely to get these headaches. Though they may occur at any age, people usually get them between 20 and 50 years old.

Can Cluster Headaches Switch Sides?

Yes, it is possible for headaches to switch from one side of your head to another, though they tend to take place on one side most of the time.

What Happens After the Cluster Headaches Pass?

The pain may pass as quickly as it began. Though the pain should go away, it may leave you feeling really tired. These headaches can be an exhausting experience.

How are Cluster Headaches Treated?

Unless you plan on waiting until the cluster headaches pass, you should go to the doctor for treatment options. There are a number of possible treatments, from oxygen or local anesthetics to dihydroergotamine or triptans.

If you frequently suffer from headaches, your doctor can also help you with a preventative treatment option to help keep the headaches at bay.

Surgery is sometimes an option in extreme situations if other treatments are not working, though this is rare.

Despite its reputation as a beautifying procedure, Botox – or botulinum toxin – has recently found a second purpose as a tool for chronic pain management. Doctors have found that for a person suffering from chronic back pain, neck pain, facial pain, or even chronic migraines, a visit to Botox specialists in Texas and Florida can yield surprisingly fast and effective relief from pain that just doesn’t respond well to other treatments.

How Does Botox Treat Chronic Pain?

Botox, or botulinum toxin, is one of modern medicine’s most fascinating treatments. A protein produced by certain types of bacteria, botulinum toxin, in its natural form, is one of the most toxic substances known to man. Decades of research and careful refinement of the toxin has allowed scientists to start using this substance for good, and today Botox is used safely in millions of procedures, both medical and cosmetic. The toxin itself works by blocking a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which forces muscles to relax; in large doses Botox causes parts of the body to shut down completely, but when administered in small doses by a trained professional, it relaxes muscles safely and locally to smooth out wrinkles and to target muscular sources of chronic pain.

What Conditions Can Botox Treat?

Because it relaxes muscles, the pain management doctors at our clinics in Texas and Florida find that Botox is particularly effective at treating chronic pain that is muscular in origin. Whiplash, TMJ, and lower back pain, for example, respond well to treatment with Botox because the pain often results from stress and tension in the muscle fibers, which in turn put stress on nearby tendons and joints. In these cases, Botox forces the muscles to relax, allowing joints to return to their natural position without pain. The same muscle relaxation makes Botox an effective treatment for post-mastectomy pain: when temporary fillers are implanted under the skin in preparation for post-mastectomy reconstruction, the muscle often contracts painfully, making maintaining the implants long enough to expand the skin sufficiently for a natural-looking breast too painful for some. Botox injections target the muscle contraction, allowing patients to recover quickly and with much less pain.

Botox is also FDA approved as a treatment for chronic migraines. Regular injections at specific sites around the head and neck can create long-term relief for patients who suffer migraines more than 14 days out of the year. Injections to treat chronic migraines are usually administered once every 12 weeks by our pain management doctors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and, as with other Botox-treated pain, patients usually start to feel positive effects within a few days.

Who is a Good Candidate for Botox?

Whether a person is a good candidate for Botox to treat chronic pain is a decision that has to be made by an experienced pain management doctor, like those at Physician Partners of America in Texas and Florida. Someone who is in generally good health aside from their chronic pain can usually be treated with Botox, but certain pre-existing conditions, like myasthenia gravis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and severe nerve disorders increase the risks of dangerous side effects when being treated with Botox. For a healthy individual, however, side effects are rare and usually mild, and Botox can be a quick, effective, and minimally invasive source of chronic pain management.