Botulinum toxin (Botox) has been proven effective in reducing excessive muscle activity and its associated spasm and pain. The Rutgers Health Botulinum Toxin Treatment (Botox) program often employs Botox as a first-line treatment for involuntary muscular contractions and abnormal postures (dystonia) such as:

• Blepharospasm (abnormal, involuntary blinking or spasm of the eyelids)
• Hemifacial spasm (facial twitches often caused by irritation or damage to facial nerves)
• Limb dystonia (involuntary, excessive muscle contractions, usually in the hands, including writer's cramp)
• Torticollis (involuntary neck muscle contractions)

Patients with resistant headaches and limb spasticity (involuntary muscle contractions) may also receive Botox.

Patients may receive injections of Botox into muscle tissue as treatment 1 to 4 times per year. The injections help reduce excessive muscle activity and/or spasm and pain by weakening muscle activity – enough to reduce spasms but not enough to cause paralysis. Patients may begin to experience the effects of Botox 1 to 2 weeks after an injection, and the effects may last 3 to 6 months.

Physicians at the Rutgers Health Botulinum Treatment program are faculty members of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a part of Rutgers University, one of the top research institutions in America. Our doctors are involved in research and in teaching about all aspects of neurology, and each brings leading-edge knowledge from the classroom to the exam room.

If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with dystonia, please make an appointment with the Rutgers Health Botox Treatment program today.