What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word ‘Botox’? We have already reported on Botox being used in the fight against migraines, and now, the toxin is being used in treatments to help fight other chronic pain.

Botox is a potent neurochemical. It comes from a purified form of Clostridium Botulinium, a bacteria which is best known for causing severe food poisoning. Botox works by blocking the nerve impulses that tell a muscle to contract or send pain signals to the brain. This means that if Botox is used in areas of chronic pain, there is a good probability that some of the pain caused by tight muscles will disappear, and some of the pain signals will also be blocked.

Aside from migraines, Botox has successfully been used in the treatment of pain in illnesses such as shingles.

Of course there are downsides to using Botox. Muscles can become weak and start to droop if the Botox is not correctly administered. Botox is not permanent though and once the toxin begins to wear off (normally around the 3 month mark), the muscle should start to work correctly again. Treatments are also not cheap – for pain relief, you can expect to pay around $485 a vial, with most treatments just needing the one vial. Top-ups every few montsh will be required however if you are someone who spends a lot of money on pain medications, the cost may end up being substantially cheaper.