Jan 15, 2007 10:00 pm US/Eastern
Botox To Treat Chronic Back Pain
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
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Botox may offer much needed relief for people with back pain.
CBS
There is a promising new treatment for a painful condition that affects millions of Americans.
Botox may offer much needed relief for people with back pain.
Al Kerswell suffers from chronic back pain. He has undergone two surgeries, physical therapy and dozens of medications, but nothing worked.
"It's like hell," said Al. "You can't feel your fingers, you can't squeeze, you can't pick nothin' up."
After years of living in pain, he went to see Dr. Dan Tanenbaum of the Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, who decided to try something different -- botox.
That's right, the same stuff women have been using for years to fend off the signs of aging when injected in the forehead. It paralyzes facial muscles -- reducing wrinkles.
It's essentially the same idea for Al's back.
"By decreasing the muscle spasm in the person's back, the muscles are able to relax and they have less pain that way," said Dr. Tanenbaum.
Dr. Tanebaum uses a computer to locate the spastic muscle and injects the botox. It takes a few days to work, but eventually the muscle stops contracting and Al feels better.
Using botox for back pain is an off label treatment. That means it hasn't been approved by the FDA. It also means many insurance companies won't cover it.
And it's not cheap. It goes for more than $400 dollars a bottle. But Dr. Tanenbaum is hopeful that eventually the FDA and insurance companies will come around. "There are an awful lot of people out there in pain who are desperate for any treatment that might help."
Now that Al's found some relief, he's been able to dust off the Harley that sat idle in his basement for two years. "I can drive my motorcycle every once and a while. I can't go cross country, but I know when I'm feeling good… I'll take it out for a put."
Aa quick spin goes a long way for a man who thought his riding days were over.
The effects of the botox are temporary. Al needs to have injections every three months. He is one of the lucky ones. His insurance covers the cost, which adds up to more than $10,000 a year.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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