Health Matters | spring 2009

Helping Rehab Patients Heal
with Botox

Patient Brittany Spence receives Botox injections every three months to treat injuries following a car accident. Dr. Carolyn Geis (left) administers the treatment at Halifax Health, assisted by Candy Clevenger, Clinic Coordinator (right), while Brittany’s mother, Kim Williams, looks on.
Botox may be known for its cosmetic ability to smooth wrinkles, but it also has valuable medical uses. Among them: relaxing the tight muscles of people who’ve experienced a stroke or an injury to the spinal cord or brain, or those who suffer from a nerve condition such as multiple sclerosis.

Brittany Spence, a 24-year-old from Holly Hill, suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident in October 2005. She now comes to Halifax Health for Botox injections every three months. “My foot really bothers me,” she said. “Botox makes me feel better, walk better and function better.”

How It Works

Carolyn Geis, MD, has safely used Botox to loosen rigid muscles like Spence’s for more than 10 years. The rigidity is known as spasticity, and it can inhibit healing by keeping patients from participating in therapy exercises, explained Dr. Geis, who is Medical Director of the neurorehabilitation program at Halifax Health.

Spasticity occurs when damaged nerves release too much of a chemical called acetylcholine. Muscles “listen” to this signal, then tighten up. Botox injected into affected areas — typically the neck, arms or legs — blocks excess acetylcholine and leads to more natural motion. “Patients get back to activities such as dressing, bathing and walking sooner,” Dr. Geis said.

Research at Halifax Health

Dr. Geis plans for Halifax Health to undertake a research study this year to assess walking speed in stroke patients. “Preliminary results show walking speed increased by 33 percent for stroke patients who received Botox injections in combination with physical therapy,” she said. “We hope to show this use of Botox helps patients move more quickly, which enables them to participate in activities at home and in the community.”

Halifax Health currently is participating in a national Botox study, which is investigating the most effective doses and injection timing.

To learn if you’re a candidate for the Botox research studies, or for more on the medical uses of Botox at Halifax Health, call 877.8.HALIFAX.