How Does Botulinum Toxins Work?
Normally your brain sends electrical messages to your muscles to make them move. The electrical message is transmitted from the nerve to muscle by substance called acetylcholine. When muscles are overly active, they spasm or tense up Botulinum toxin blocks the nerve from releasing acetylcholine. As a result, the muscle spasm stops or greatly reduced, providing relief from symptoms. Your doctor will know how much botulinum toxin is needed to treat your problem effectively. It important to remember that botulinum toxin is not a cure. For many people, however, its effect have been dramatic to allow them to be more functional and help with there activities of daily living. The botulinum toxin will take about 3 months to recover and begin to release acetylcholine. And the muscles may become overactive again. At that point, another injection will be needed to provide relief, as long as an allergic reaction has not occurred and clinical response was obtained.
