There was one person on this site that had Botox injections in her back once a month (I think it was once a month but could have been every couple months.) She had several failed back surgeries and Botox was what worked for her. I haven't seen her post anything on this site in over a year, so don't know if she is still in the group. Personally, I would try trigger point therapy and myofascial release first, and do a lot of research before getting Botox for this condition. I noticed that the website for certified trigger point therapists who graduated from the school in Pittsburg is now www.cbmtpt.org. You do have to be patient with TrP therapy and myofascial release. I didn't find instant relief, but gradual improvement with set backs too. If you decide to give Botox a try, please let us know if it helped.

I've gone back to www.saveyourself.ca to reread the sections on botox injections and have picked out these sections:
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"It has become a common therapy for severe trigger points, especially around the head and neck, and was officially approved for migraine treatment in 2010 in the UK and the US."

"Theres no proof, but I suspect that Botox does have a potent therapeutic effect on trigger points in ideal conditions, and the problem with therapy is entirely practical. Its difficult to accurately diagnose and precisely locate the most relevant trigger points in the first place, and even more difficult still to accurately inject them. Botox cant paralyze a trigger point it hasnt actually been injected into!"

"Simons recommends that for those with the necessary equipment and skills a trigger point should be identified myographically by its spontaneous electrical activity while thats a great idea, in practice virtually no one has the necessary equipment and skills. "

"And the effect wears off. A paralyzed trigger point doesnt stay paralyzed, and successfully treated trigger points can still come back. Botox paralysis does not make a triggery person less triggery, does not eliminate perpetuating factors, and does not stop a neuromuscular junction from dysfunctioning permanently. As the poison slowly works its way out of the neuromuscular junction, that patch of muscle regains the ability to contract and once again form trigger points."

"Only consider Botox if you are particularly desperate, and if you have especially high confidence in the skills and trigger point savvy of the physician. In all cases, keep your expectations low."
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For me there are three things to take into consideration:
-i) All trigger points have to be injected. It's not always easy to identify all trigger points, or to find 'the one' causing all the pain.

-ii)The botox injections wear off and the trigger points (and it's pain and dysfunction) come right back.

-iii) The other thing is that the botox injection doesn't get rid of the 'perpetuating factors'; the things that caused the original problems, such as (perhaps that should be *especially*) poor work ergonomics, overwork and chronic negative stress.

But overall it's better than I thought! It's good to see that botox can be of some (temporary) help to some people, if given in the right place by a skilled practitioner. The key word was "desperate"...only consider if you are desperate, and if it gives temporary respite for a specific reason then it's worth a try.

So a lot to consider, but isn't that true of so many of the treatments we try? Although they aren't so poisonous.

You might find this site useful, especially if you are still working as a Radiologist and having the same ergonomic problems: www.rula.co.uk

Thanks a lot for your exhaustive inputs , i have told my doc to defer Botox , will continue dry needling , stretching , myofascial release . some yoga , relaxation life style modification Vitamins etc..

i have kind of a grainy feel all along my rt arm and and there is a twitch response when my doc jabs the needle in them( as small as mustard seeeds) are they Trps too? even my doc is not so sure.

Have you been checked for SM? I had extreme reactions to stimuli but eventually lost reflexes in my arms and have hyper reflexes in my legs. I started out with a shoulder injury and couldn't understand why the pain kept spreading to other parts of my body. If the pain keeps spreading along one side of your body, you may look at the SM symptoms. Not trying to scare you.

What is SM, r rodgers? As to the original query, my question would be if you have looked for and tried to address any structural imbalances? What are your habitual postures? Slight scoliosis, a gaping S.I. joint on the left and an ingrained habit of slumping with my left shoulder falling toward my left hip, were what set off my problems with MPS. Have someone take a picture of you from the back when wearing sport shorts (and bra?) while you stand naturally. Myofascial release really helped me straighten out my posture.

I believe 'SM' is Syringomyelia.

I'm not sure I could do it justice if I tried to explain it, so I've borrowed this explanation from one of the online support groups: "Syringomyelia is a condition in which fluid filled cavities form within the spinal cord and can lead to pain, and loss of function (weakness or numbness)." www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk

It's a classic example of the importance of a thorough review of the complete history with pain, investigative tests and examination when someone presents with chronic pain.

(I know of someone who had 'a bad back' for 20-30 years, thought to be from a prior traumatic incident. The syringomyelia was only found on a 'routine' MRI that was part of all 'new patient' assessments.)

I have had that grainy feel all up my arm at the top on the bottom side too. It is such an unpleasant feeling. For me I know it is many little knots. I know trigger points are present because it hurts to press all along my arm.

I had botox injections in my neck and at first it helped some but what I think it was, was just the needle giving relief. It made my face feel strange and I only did it a few times.

I had botox and was very ill afterwards it took me weeks to recover .
I read somewhere afterwards that botox should never be put in to trigger points I certainly would not recommend it .

I had 15 botox injections in trigger points in my upper back and neck a week ago as a last resort, so thought I would post a comment. I have had quite a lot of pain, stiffness and bruising since the injections and certainly no relief as yet. My specialist said it could take three weeks to feel the results. I am not holding much hope. Also I have been feeling pretty exhausted ever since and struggling to get out of bed with a distinct lack of energy. Apparently flu like symptoms are a possible side effect.
I will post back again in a couple of weeks once they have settled down a bit more.

Many thanks for sharing .. Pumpkin31 has indeed has vast knowledge and helps every one a lot..!
i am not considering botox as of now after many of you have have negative feed back about it..
I wish nfmcphee a speedy recovery form the botox adversities..

Hi

I know this is a long shot, but I was wondering how Nfmcphee panned out with the botox in the end? Did it settle down and help?
Thanks so much.