JOURNAL ARTICLE
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

The analgesic effect of botulinum-toxin A on postwhiplash neck pain.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BTXA) injections in relieving the neck pain and reduced motion that evolve after whiplash injury (WI) has been controversial.

AIM OF STUDY: To test the long-term efficacy of a tender point injection of BTXA in relieving neck pain in patients with WI.

METHODS: Twenty patients with cervical myofascial pain, 2 to 48 weeks after WI, were randomly assigned to receive either 200 U of BTXA or placebo at 4 tender points and were seen during the follow-ups 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 weeks after the injections. Outcome measures included the intensity of pain as evaluated by a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and a 5-point Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), quality of life as evaluated by the SF-36 questionnaire, treatment efficacy as per the global assessment of the physician and patient, intensity of pain in response to mechanical pressure, range of cervical motion, and use of other therapies and their adverse effects.

RESULTS: A time-dependent improvement in all the parameters was found in both groups, which was consistently larger in the BTXA-treated group, but mostly not at a significant level. Significant differences between the groups were found only in the percentages of patients who achieved 50% or more of reduction in intensity (VAS and average VRS) at 24 weeks (50% vs. 0%, P>0.05 and 70% vs. 11%, P>0.05, respectively). Systemic adverse effects tended to be more common in the BTXA-treated group (40% vs. 0%, P=0.07).

CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that BTXA treatment has some efficacy when administered within 1 year of the WI. However, a large, well-designed clinical trial is needed to draw final conclusions.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app