Hi, I'm bev and i'm new at this site which i found by accident, i'm just wondering if anyone has heard about botox helping? I can walk unaided pretty well (C5/6 level) but my muscles tend to get stiff, more so in winter which makes me walk worse and i have to be extra careful not to fall and i have read that botox may help but i'm a little concerned about trying it out for obvious reason,s what if everything gets too loose etc etc.
Has anyone here heard anything about botox? Are there many walkers here? I find it easier to walk in 2inch heels because of my slight right foot drop although i wear the toes out in my shoes very quickly!

Cheers all and I hope that everyone can be a bit happy if not a lot happy in their lives.

Welcome to sanity!

Excuse my being dense but what would the botox do?

Congratulations on the walking in heels - I find that they throw me off balance too much... but then I was never that great on walking in heels before anyway.

Have a wonderful day!

From what i've been reading about the botox treatment for muscle spasms is that it can help some, but for some of us the tone in our legs is what gets us up and walking. It seems like something that could be worth a try for a few cases though.

I actually just met a woman this week at physio who had botox in her right arm and was finding that it helped, but she had had a stroke affecting her right side and consequently had 'claw hand'.

btw, I love heels and am always 'pushing' the limit in that regard. Unfortunately, my balance is not very good and so if I wear heels, I use my wheelchair or I'm holding on to my husband for dear life. My long-term goal is to walk in stilettos! I couldn't care less if I never run again...I just want to walk in heels. hehe.

Hello

Botox is indeed helpful when it come to spasms and stiffness of the muscles. I took it 3 times already and I was happy with results every time. It helps to relax your muscles and function better. It also helped me in early stages of my rahab. Unfortunately, the effect is temporary because of our immune system. Botox is held to be the most toxic substance known to mankind but dont worry in small doses its nothing but help with spasms.
"Researchers discovered in the 1950s that injecting overactive muscles with minute quantities of botulinum toxin type-A would result in decreased muscle activity by blocking the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, thereby rendering the muscle unable to contract for up to a period of 3 to 4 months." I suggest you talk with your doctor about it. I'm sure hes familiar with this toxin. Anyway, good luck. Regards, Bart.

Thankyou for the kind welcome Clara.

Botox relaxes the muscles for about 3months hence why so many use it to 'erase' wrinkles!

I can understand that the tone does help a lot but for me it hinders. When my muscles are loose I can walk with a more normal stride, when tight I walk with a stiff gait and with every step I have to remember to move my hips, bend my knees, stand straight (as I tend to bend over a little to look at the ground so I don't trip). When muscles are looser, it's a little easier.

Thats interesting about the woman with the claw hand, my right hand doesnt open normally (I always carry my shoulder bag on the right and hold onto it with the hand), if I just let it be it stays in a claw, I always keep straightening and stretching it. Both hands are slow but the right is worse. Luckily I have good grip but my release is slow

I know what you mean about heels, it just feels so good to be able to wear them, just one of those 'femine' things. I have worn stilettos! but only at home. Before accident I was one of those that could run in them, i was just as comfy in stilettos as normal shoes.
Ohhh....to run again......I used to dream about just breaking into a run, the ease of it, mind you, i also used to dream of flying.....that was fun too! grin

Thanks Bart, I will speak to my doctor about it, it's re-assuring to know that it has helped a fellow SCI

Hi everyone! I'm brand new here so bear with me. I am just so dang excited to find this site!

My husband is a c5-c7 incomplete walker. His accident was over 30 years ago and he had a huge amount of recovery, but as he has gotten older he seems to have had a lot more trouble with walking. We've only been married for 2 years so I'm really new to all this. We have several friends who have spinal cord injuries, but all are confined to a wheel chair, so I've never "met" anyone like my husband. His paralysis is mostly on his right side. He walks but has a severe limp and what Bev said about wearing out the toes of her shoes really struck me. He really struggles with spasticity in his right leg. He is so tight that he seems to just fight the leg all the time to walk.

Anyway, enough of the history. We met four years ago and in that time he has done nothing to better the walking situation. He has gotten worse since we met and what concerns me the most is just how much effort walking takes out of him. It's exhausting! I finally talked him into some pt, but we went to a new doctor who recommended BOTOX and well, he started it two days ago. I'm very hopeful and excited, but not sure what to expect. It was pretty painful as they used an electric current to find right nerves/muscles to put it into. But right away he has been able to wiggle his toes and he is better able to focus on walkinkg "heel-toe" instead of dragging his toes. Like I said we have no idea what to expect. I get the idea of how it's suppose to work, but just wish I knew the results we were going to get. He is getting a new brace and starting pt next week to help with the stretching.

So I'm more than interested in hearing what other people are going through and willing to share our journey. That's intersting about the high heels, but I don't think my husband is going to go for them.

jennifer
houston, tx

Hi Jennifer, your husband is very lucky to be able to walk which he already knows but sometimes its so very hard to keep on fighting to keep walking, cos thats how it feels at times, as walkers we know that we HAVE to keep on doing it otherwise we'll end up like the majority, in a chair.
How it feels to walk, it's like gravity is a lot stronger than how it used to be.
Jennifer, by the sounds of it, your husband is a bit worse than what I am, you mentioned a brace? does he need one or two all or some of the time?
I have to remember HOW to walk all of the time, to remember to move my hips (ahhhh, to have the hip wiggle I used to have when men looked, sigh), to bend my knees, to lift my feet, to swing my arms, try and not lean forward all of the time cos I'm worried whats in front of me to trip me up.
I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that it's a NEVER ENDING BATTLE, it's not like an injury which will heal, that constant battle takes its toll on the mind. You say your husband has got worse, that may be the reason why, he is lucky that he has you, a fresh mind to help fight the battle with him.

Good luck to the two of you with the botox and please let me know how it goes.

Bev

Bev

Thanks for writing back. I know that life is exhausting and difficult for anyone in this situtation and Buddy's been battling it for 30 years. He's learned out to walk fast, but wrongly and it exhausts him. He does't sepnd time thinking how to walk, he just GOES! I constantly tell him to slow down and pull him back. So now we are kind of "starting over" and he has to spend a lot of time focusing to gain back just a little bit of what he has lost or to try to keep it from getting worse.

The BOTOX was one week ago. He is definitely relaxing in his calf muscles and while he cannot walk heel-toe, he is walking without dragging his toes. He is able to flex his foot and that's a huge improvement. He definitely seems looser in his calf and toes. We started physical therapy and it's just stretching trying to loosen up everything. His right hip and knee have pulled in towards his left leg and we are trying to strengthen the muscles to pull them back out. It's not easy for him. He should get the brace this week. It's an AFO and only on his right foot. it will make him so he can flex his foot up, but not allow it to drop down when he walks. So I've very excited.

I don't think his walk was as difficult as it is now. When he was younger he skiied, etc. He's a plumber and that's a very difficult profession. As we get older everyboyd's nerves lose some of their function so that seems to be part of the problem in him. Just means he has to work harder now than before.

We'll keep you posted on how the botox thing is going. So far we are both very happy.

Take care!
jennifer








[quote name='tarabev' date='Feb 17 2010, 12:15 AM' post='149699']
Hi Jennifer, your husband is very lucky to be able to walk which he already knows but sometimes its so very hard to keep on fighting to keep walking, cos thats how it feels at times, as walkers we know that we HAVE to keep on doing it otherwise we'll end up like the majority, in a chair.
How it feels to walk, it's like gravity is a lot stronger than how it used to be.
Jennifer, by the sounds of it, your husband is a bit worse than what I am, you mentioned a brace? does he need one or two all or some of the time?
I have to remember HOW to walk all of the time, to remember to move my hips (ahhhh, to have the hip wiggle I used to have when men looked, sigh), to bend my knees, to lift my feet, to swing my arms, try and not lean forward all of the time cos I'm worried whats in front of me to trip me up.
I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that it's a NEVER ENDING BATTLE, it's not like an injury which will heal, that constant battle takes its toll on the mind. You say your husband has got worse, that may be the reason why, he is lucky that he has you, a fresh mind to help fight the battle with him.

Good luck to the two of you with the botox and please let me know how it goes.

Bev