Reg Anesth Pain Med: Botox injections can relieve the pain of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological disease that affects an estimated 176 million women worldwideIt is a benign disease, but there are similar malignant tumors of the "malignant behavior": growth, diffusion, metastasis, symptoms can be light and heavy, heavy can make the patient pain less than deathThe symptoms ofpain are not necessarily positively related to the size and size of the lesions, and even if the lesions are small and the number is small, they may still suffer severe chronic painfor some patients, even if the lesions eventually atrophy or surgery to remove them completely, the pain is consistent and consistentthe pain mechanism of endometriosisthe pain mechanism of endometriosis is different from the general painat first the pain was confined to the lesions, to the affected areas, to the pelvic cavity, and then gradually evolved into a sensitive and dysfunctional disorder of the central nervous systemthe brain's pain-feeling pathways are activated for too long, and even if the cause and lesions that cause pain are eliminated, they cannot be easily shut down, a condition that is common in endometriosisthis chronic pelvic pain is not only pain, but also brings a series of physical and mental changes, including insomnia, anxiety, depression, irritability and so onstudy found that patients suffering from chronic pain for a long time found gray matter changes in the brain, changes in hippocampus back can lead to memory loss, prefrontal cortex volume shrinkage, thalamus, cerebral islands and other central regions associated with regulating pain have also undergone varying degrees of shrinkagethe conventional surgery and hormone therapy currently in use have difficulty controlling chronic pelvic pain caused by endometriosisso finding new ways to control pain has become the direction of many people's effortsthe treatment of endometriosis
a recent article in the Journal of Local Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, entitled "Botox to Treat Chronic Pelvic Pain of Endometriosis."speaking of Botox, I believe we are no strangers, it is also a magic drug, neurologists use it to treat facial spasms, cosmetic plastic surgeons use it to help women eliminate wrinkles, stay young now, obstetricians and gynecologists are trying to treat pelvic pain caused by endometriosis the project studied 13 cases of endometriosis, all of whom underwent surgery and then used hormones to suppress menstruation, but continued to experience pain and pelvic floor muscle spasms guided by an electromyography, the researchers injected 100 units of botulinum toxin A through the vagina into the spasticity area of the pelvic floor muscle followed up with pain levels, muscle spasms, disability, and the use of painkillers within two months of receiving the injection, all participants had reduced pain, and 11 out of 13 participants reported that their pain was mild or had disappeared in addition, more than half of the participants reduced the use of painkillers Prior to the injection of toxins, eight participants reported moderate or severe disabilities, and six patients experienced an improvement in their disability after treatment the results of the study are clear: less muscle spasms in patients involved in the study, reduced disability due to pain relief, and reduced use of painkillers What's more, the beneficial effects are lasting, with many patients reporting pain relief lasting at least six months "Injecting Botox is very effective at reducing pain levels and patients using painkillers, including opioids," said Pamela Stratton, a researcher "
" many of the women in our study reported that pain had a profound effect on their quality of life, and that this treatment could help them get back to life "
" We know that many doctors are using botulinum toxin to help their patients, but each person makes some different techniques and methods, including different brands of toxins and different doses, and our study will begin to provide rigorous help with standardized programs and treatments for pelvic pain "
this is just a small sample study, and in the future we need a larger clinical to further confirm the current findings in addition, future research will need to explore the mechanisms of chronic pelvic pain and better understand how botulinum toxin may help treat these diseases