Botox brings hopes to cerebral palsy patients,academy for free injections in govt hospitals

A patient’s mother who had travelled from Rajasthan to Mumbai to get this treatment for her son said,“He was a year old when he was diagnosed. We heard of this treatment only now. He was given his first dose a few months ago,but already he can sit and get up on his own,which we could not achieve earlier despite regular physiotherapy.”

Neurologist Dr Ashok Saxena said,“We have found Botox to be particularly successful in freshly-detected patients,where there is no muscle fibrosis. I have been using it for almost two years now,and the results are fascinating.”

Delhi-based paediatrician Dr SK Sanyal,who has referred several cerebral palsy patients to Mumbai for Botox treatment,said,“Though this procedure is catching up,patients are extremely apprehensive at first. Now,hospitals in Delhi are also starting to use Botox,but there is a need for awareness.”

The accepted treatment protocol mainly involves physiotherapy for a sustained period. In contrast, Botox has been giving considerably speedier results. “Sometimes,we see patients showing results within two-three hours of administering the injection,” said Dr Johri.

Botox has also shown to trigger better speech and bladder control. “There have been cases where the injection has been given in the lower half of the body,and there have been noted improvements in the upper half,” said Dr Johri.

Since Botox causes a temporary paralysis,it has to be re-injected at an interval of about a year. “Even in cases where we have to resort to surgery,Botox helps until the child reaches an age where surgery can be easily performed,” says Dr Saxena.

HOW IT WORKS
Botulinum Toxide,or Botox,is used for controlled paralysis of contracted muscles in cerebral palsy. “There is utter chaos in the brain due to firing of excessive electrical signals. This makes muscles perpetually contracted,as they lose ability to relax,” says Dr Johri. This prevents the body from performing basic motor functions in a coordinated way. Botox is used to temporarily decrease the spasticity in muscles,to bring them to normal levels of activity. The dosage is determined by the position of muscles and body weight. In extreme cases,Botox is used to block nerves to the targeted muscle.