New therapy should complement Traditional Cure:

Expert Spasticity can now be treated

Kolkata Bureau

Now, there is another tool in the treatment of pediatric spasticity arising from cerebral palsy. This has come in the shape of a drug called Botox. Botox is administered in spastic children as an injection.

“Botox is the brand name of the botulinum toxin. In our country, the toxin has been used for quite sometime for treating conditions related to excessive muscle contraction.

Amongst other things, such afflictions revolve around involuntary blinking of the eyes or uncontrolled spasm in facial muscles. We have found only recently in India that the drug is very effective in spasticity,” Dr. Anupam Duttagupta, physiatrist, said.

A physiatrist is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Spasticity can broadly result from three situations: Spastic children who suffer from cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy, in turn, is caused by pre-natal, natal, or post-natal injury to the brain/central nervous system. In the second and third instance, a stroke and head injury can bring about spasticity.

“We have come upon research papers from the West which show that Botox treatment has lead to significant improvement in gait and limb movement. Doctors in other parts of our country have also taken to this approach. One can surely imagine that the use of Botox will bring about a great deal of change in treating spasticity,” Dr. Duttagupta said.

He, however, clarified that the application of the Botox process should not replace traditional therapy. It should combine with time-tested therapy, plastic casting and orthotic management. Orthotics has to do mechanical devices which reinforce limb function.

“One can’t deny that this drug is expensive. Therefore, it is more cost-effective when we have to handle a spastic case where the problem is a focal one. This simply means that the affliction is limited to a particular part or limb of the body,” he said.

For babies and children, the medicine is administered the moment spasticity is detected. According to him, the drug’s effect and speed of the recovery process depends on the “number of muscle groups involved.” “It obviously varies with every case, but the drug’s effect can begin to show within around three weeks from being injected in a patient. What is important is that while complementing therapy procedures, Botox can hasten the pace of regaining normal functions. Sometimes, it can help delay a required surgery till a child reaches the right stage for a surgical procedure.

And, happily, it can on occasions eliminate the need for a surgery,” Dr Duttagupta said.

Source: Economic Times

Dated :18th February 2002