Eliminating Your Headaches with Botox

You know that Botox® injections smooth away worry lines and furrows from your forehead. But did you know Botox can get rid of your headaches too? Now, that should erase your frown for good! Here’s how Botox prevents and eliminates headaches.

More than 37 million women, men, and children in the United States suffer from migraines, a disabling condition that can cause severe headaches and other symptoms. In addition, many more experience headaches that disrupt their day-to-day tasks and make them feel more like spectators than participants in their lives.

If you get migraines, you know how debilitating they can be. More than 90% of migraine sufferers claim their condition interferes with their careers, education, and social activities. Each year in the US, migraines cost more than $20 million in both direct medical expenses and productivity losses.

At Addison Pain + Regenerative Medicine, our expert osteopath, Dr. John East, recommends Botox® for certain patients with chronic migraine headaches and other types of headaches. He administers this safe, simple procedure in our offices in Addison, Texas.

If you have at least 15 headaches a month that last for four hours or more, here’s how and why Botox may eliminate or minimize your issues.

Why Botox works for headaches

Botox is an injectable form of a highly purified neurotoxin called onabotulinumtoxinA. Botox has been used by clinicians since 1989. Originally, it was a treatment for a muscular condition around the eye called strabismus, in which the eyes don’t work together when they move.

Since then, Botox has gained fame for its use in smoothing out wrinkles on the forehead, around the eyes, and on the neck. Botox works by interfering with the chemical signals your brain sends to your nerves. The result is more relaxed muscles and a toned-down pain response.

Researchers believe Botox alleviates tension headaches and migraines by interrupting the transmission of pain signals between your brain and nerves. Your doctor injects it in areas where your nerves and muscles meet. Botox relaxes tense muscles and shuts down pain sensations.

How Botox works in headaches

As with wrinkle treatment, your doctor must inject the Botox in multiple sites to get the desired results. However, the areas of injection for headaches are different from those for crow’s feet or vertical lines, so don’t expect an anti-aging result.

Dr. East uses a very fine needle to minimize skin trauma. The injections are also quite shallow and go into the muscle layer just beneath the skin. He may inject your:

Forehead
Temples
Back of your head
Back of your neck

He may also locate trigger points of pain and tightness that are unique to you and inject those areas as well. Each Botox treatment is customized to your needs and the type of headaches and pain areas that affect you.

What to expect from Botox treatment for headaches

Each Botox treatment is simple and fast. The treatment time is only about 10 minutes. Most people report that the needle pricks feel like small pinches.

However, Botox is not a one-and-done solution. You need to get at least two treatments, 12 weeks apart, to experience your full benefits at week 24. Nevertheless, you may start to notice the frequency and severity of your headaches diminishing as early as week four.

Once you’ve had your second treatment at week 24, you continue to get Botox injections every 12 weeks. That’s only four times per year to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of your migraines.

How we know Botox works for headaches

Botox is now the #1 prescribed preventive treatment for chronic migraines. It’s been available as a migraine treatment for more than 15 years.

In addition to our own clinical experience with Botox for migraines, more than one million women, men, and children around the world have received Botox for headaches. When surveyed, 99% of those currently using Botox for headaches state that they plan to keep using it.

On average, Botox prevents about 8-9 headaches per month in patients with chronic migraines. That’s 8-9 days you get your life back. You may also experience fewer debilitating symptoms on the days you do get a migraine.

Don’t wait for your next migraine headache. Find out now if Botox is an option for your headaches by calling our office at 972-380-0000 today. You can also request an appointment online.