United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello, My daughter is 14 years old, and her bracheal plexis injury is birth related. Her doctor is recommending Botox injections.
1. Has anyone experienced it with their teen child? If so, how successful was it?

2. Are there any side effects that we should be concerned with?

I thought I would chime in here since your post hasnt been answered yet. I havent had botox although I would like to at some point, it just doesnt fit into my life right now.

I did some research on Botox last year and to my knowledge, it was mostly being used on younger children. There were a couple studies that included 13 year olds and results of that study were successful.

Like any treatment though, Botox is no different, it could work fabulous for your daughter or it might not work so well at all.It is temporary though so in my personal opinion, its worth a try

Side effects...It will deaden the Botoxed muscle group for 3-6 mos. This will not kill the muscle at all, it will simply shut down the neurotransmitters (chemical released from the brain that makes movements possible). This block of neurotransmitters wears of in 3-6 mos. So basically, the muscle group that is Botoxed will be much harder to use which allows you to strengthen the opposite muscle group.

Hope this helps,
Amy 21 years old ROBPI from MN (OT student)

I had Botox done to my leg to knock spasticity out due to a spinal cord injury I have NOT related to the LOBPI.

And yes, it really weakens the muscles that are done, so if she uses her arm at all it will make it tougher for everyday, normal stuff, but will *maybe* let her get some strength to the muscles that need help.

I expect it would be tougher on teens to deal with, as she has managed to do things her way for a long time using her BPI arm. As long as she knows that the Botox will make it harder for 3-6 months to do things the way she is used to and that it is to help the muscles that are already weak she should be ok. But it should be well explained to her.

And warning, it is painful. Ask them if they use the EMLA cream to numb the area first (take about 30 min). For little kids they often "knock" them out to do it, but not older kids.

Marieke 33 LOBPI
RN

My God! Thank you both very much for your comments. It's very helpful to know the views of BPI folks who have experienced it. I will share this information with my daughter. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

We used botox on Juliana years ago. We are considering it again, for co-contraction issues.

At the time, we did it without anesthesia, but most docs now like to do it with anesthesia, as they can map the muscle better that way.

I didn't find that Julie was "frustrated", something I was worried about, after the botox, especially since we did a lot of therapy in conjunction with the botox. We were trying to get use out of an overpowered muscle, so there were a lot of new experiences for her. She was doing things with that muscle that she hadn't been able to do before.

I know a teen who did botox (his mother doesn't use our messageboards) and he wasn't bothered by what had been botoxed, more he was happy with the improved movement.

I've believed for a long time that botox has a place in bpi treatment.

Dr. Kozin and Dr. Price both use botox. Why don't you email them and ask questions. They are both easy to contact.

good luck,
claudia


Message was edited by: claudia

I forgot to add... mine was done with EMG at the same time, so that the MD could know if he was hitting the right spot/muscle.