Botulinum toxin therapy for myofascial pain disorders.

Myofascial pain disorder can originate from various muscles in the body. Numerous therapeutic approaches have been used to treat myofascial pain syndrome with varying success. Botulinum toxin neurolysis may become an important treatment regimen because it sustains relaxation of muscles. There is a growing body of clinical evidence for the efficacy of botulinum toxin in the treatment of painful myofascial conditions. The conditions that have been investigated include chronic low back pain, chronic cervical-associated headache, myofascial pain, myofascial pain syndrome and pain from chronic muscle spasm, and refractory myofascial pain. One of these studies was an open-label, exploratory pilot study into the cervicothoracic and lumbosacral regions using a novel injection technique.