Botox May Relieve Chronic Foot Pain in Diabetics

Botox, the revolutionary cosmetic drug most often used to decrease the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles, may also benefit people with type 2 diabetes who suffer from chronic foot pain caused by nerve damage, researchers in Taiwan have found.

Scientists at Taipei Medical University have tested using Botox in 18 patients who complained of nerve-related pain in both feet as the result of type 2 diabetes. For the study, patients were divided into two groups and over the course of three months given shots of either Botox or saline solution injected at a dozen sites on the top of each foot.

Study Finds Improvement in Foot Pain

Researchers noted a dramatic drop in the patients’ reports of pain after receiving the Botox treatments. Patients were asked to assign a number value to their degree of pain, from zero to 10, at the beginning of the treatments and gave an average score of 6.36.

However, following Botox treatments for 12 weeks, patients assigned an average pain score that was 2.53 points lower than before treatment, compared to a decrease of just 0.53 in patients who received saline injections.

Also, 44 percent of the study participants did even better, with a reduction of at least 3 points in their pain score within 12 weeks following the Botox injections.

Many patients in the study also reported that the decreased foot pain from Botox treatments allowed them to sleep much better, the researchers said.

The results of the study are published in the medical journal Neurology.

The findings prompted the research team to find that Botox injections “are an effective and safe method of relieving diabetic neuropathic pain in the feet.” However, they cautioned that more research is needed to refine the findings and determine the appropriate dosage.

Warnings of Botox Injuries

Botox, made by Allergen Inc., is a purified protein made from the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. The drug temporarily paralyzes muscles, stopping the movement which over time can cause the appearance of frown lines and wrinkles. Millions of people around the world undergo Botox treatments every year. The drug is approved to treat excessive sweating and other conditions, but also is used in ways the FDA has not approved, such as relaxing muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.

In April 2009, the Food and Drug Administration required the makers of Botox and two similar drugs, Myobloc and Dysport, to include in the products’ labeling stronger warnings about potentially deadly complications. When Botox injections spread from the injection site through the body, the drug may stop the movement of muscles which control breathing, swallowing, and other vital bodily functions, the FDA cautioned.

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