23 Feb Have you been told that your child 🧒with Cerebral Palsy may benefit from Botox injections 💉to their tight muscles🦵 Concerned about the side effects of Botox injections 💉for your child with Cerebral Palsy 😬

Did you know that Botox or botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) has been used for the past 25 years for reducing muscle spasticity in children with Cerebral Palsy? BoNT-A injection of the calf muscle (gastrocnemius muscle) for toe-walking in a child with hemiplegia or diplegia Cerebral Palsy usually has the effect of relaxing the calf muscle to allow an increase in the ankle range of motion, so the child can place their foot down flat to walk. However, studies have shown that improvements in walking patterns are not always achieved and are small in magnitude and short lived from 3-6 months before the muscle spasticity returns. Like all medications, there are some side effects to having BoNT-A injections and research is now showing that BoNT-A is a denervating agent which permanently destroys the nerves endings in muscles. As a result, over time, the use of BoNT-A leads to weaker muscles, a change that is irreversible.

Further research has also shown that using adjunctive interventions such as serial casting, orthoses, night splints, radial shockwave therapy and intensive physiotherapy is more effective in reducing spasticity and increasing muscle calf length without any permanent muscle damage that BoNT-A injections causes. This is why, at My Favourite Physio, when our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists work with children with Cerebral Palsy, we don’t recommend BoNT-A injections. Using serial castings, customised orthosis, night splints, radial shockwave therapy and intensive Physiotherapy the children in our clinic achieve outcomes that has astounded their Specialists in the hospitals. 

If you have a child with Cerebral Palsy and you are looking for a safer alternative to BoNT-A injections for your child, ring My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists to find out what’s the best options available for your child.