A perspective on Botox treatment for chronic back pain Special

A substance best known for removing frown lines is now being used to alleviate back pain. Botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, is now being used to treat more serious problems.

An Ontario patient receiving a controversial new treatment for chronic back pain discusses the procedure and shares his experiences with Digital Journal readers in this phone interview. So what's wrong with you? Well, I have arthritis in my entire back which keeps me in constant pain. How long have you been taking the Botox treatments? I've been taking the treatments for three years. Describe the procedure. At the doctor's office, I get a series of injections into the muscle surrounding my spine. My back is really bad so I get a lot, fifteen to twenty. The injections are not all beside my spine. They are also in my hips and shoulders and forehead. Where do you get the treatments? My doctor is Thomas John, MD in Oshawa, Ontario. How much does it cost? A bottle of Botox is about four hundred dollars and I use three bottles in a treatment. Does OHIP pay for it? Yes OHIP pays for my treatments. I think you need to be referred by your family doctor. How often do you need the treatments? Every three months. Does it really work? Yes. The Botox treatments help a lot. I would say they remove seventy percent of my back pain. I've been taking it for three years and wouldn't be without it. It takes a while after the first treatment before you notice any improvement. In my case it was about six weeks before I noticed results.