Toxin Found Helpful in Cerebral Palsy
From Times Wire Reports
A botulism toxin treatment sometimes used to smooth wrinkles also can improve tiptoe-walking common in children with cerebral palsy, new research shows.
Injections of the food-poisoning toxin cause muscle weakness and are becoming an increasingly popular but little publicized treatment for stiff muscles in cerebral palsy.
The study, involving 155 children treated for at least a year at nine centers, is one of the largest and longest-running to examine the treatment’s effectiveness.
The toxin enabled some children to walk without braces and ride tricycles, researchers said.
