Plastic surgeons using Botox to treat migraine headaches

AORN Journal, April, 2007

Botox is being used by some plastic surgeons to identify and deaden muscles that contribute to the development of migraine headaches, according to a Feb 27, 2007, news release from the Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex. Physicians speculate that muscles located in the forehead, back of the head, or temple areas may compress, irritate, or entrap nerves, triggering the migraine headache. Plastic surgeons developed this innovative treatment when several patients reported relief from migraine headaches after receiving cosmetic Botox treatments.

Surgeons can systematically treat patients who suffer from migraine headaches by injecting Botox into a specific muscle, temporarily paralyzing it, to identify whether that muscle is acting as a trigger point for the headache. If the treatment of a triggering muscle successfully prevents or lessens the severity of the migraine headache, the patient then can elect to have the triggering muscle surgically removed as a long-term or possibly permanent treatment of this condition.

Innovative Treatment for Migraines Combines Botox and Surgery [news release]. Dallas, Tex: Southwestern Medical Center; February 27, 2007. Available at: http://www.ut southwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept37389/files/344577 .html. Accessed February 27, 2007.