Saturday, April 27, 2013

Techniques of Injections

By Pauline Perrinote


As we all called them, Botox injections, are being used very often these days. They are probably considered the best and more useful part of a cosmetic makeover. But it seems, people don't only use it for that, it is extremely useful in managing different clinical conditions such as muscle spasticity.

Botoxis a toxin that's created by the bacteria botulinus. The injection type employed in treatments is the sterile lyophilized kind. There are a number of formulations available on the market currently, and most of them are used for identical functions. In a nutshell,they're helpful to eliminate wrinkles on the face (cosmetic purposes), in managing jerkiness associated with brain disorders, spasticparesis, cramps and con jointly for the management of pain.

Botulinum toxin is taken in a form of injection to the relevant muscle groups, and now we will talk about the different injection techniques.

The Technique of Botox injection administration

The general technique for injecting Botox consists of using a 1.0 mL Tuberculin type syringe along with needles of varying size depending on the muscle being injected. For superficial injections into the skin and the muscles around the eye, a short 25 gauge to 30 gauge needle may be used. However, for larger muscles, a longer 25 gauge may be used.

Prior to performing the procedure, it is essential to identify the right muscle or muscle groups that require injecting. A thorough clinical examination is warranted, and once this is concluded electromyography studies may be conducted to identify the muscles clearly. Once this has been done, a motor point should be identified on the surface of the muscle. This is the point that is injected with Botox. The skin is cleaned with alcohol and the alcohol allowed to evaporate. The toxin is then injected into the muscle, taking care not to inject it intravascularly.

The time length taken to inject depends on the operator expertise and also the range of muscles that require injecting. Following the procedure, patients might feel a light quantity of pain and discomfort, and this is often simply treated with easy pain medication.

Let's take a look at some of the clinical conditions that can utilize botox injections.

1. Cerebral palsy

Target muscles that are spastic in children with cerebral palsy (CP) need to be identified using gait analysis. While passive movement of the muscles and joints can help identify muscle groups that need injecting, some groups advocate using ultrasound with or without electromyography to ensure accuracy. Following the injection, the appropriate post injection care such as physical therapy and orthotic management should be considered.

2. Blepharospasm

Here, Botox is diluted with normal saline and is injected using a 30 gauge needle into the orbicularis oculi muscle carefully at around 4 to 5 points around the eye. Care should be taken to ensure ptosis does not occur during injection.

There are many more conditions and an in depth discussion on everyone of those is out of scope of this article.

Botox injections are useful in managing muscle jerkiness and for cosmetic reasons. Techniques can be a challenge and one must employ knowledgeable care while being administered. Once used properly, they can demonstrate an amazing result.




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