New research suggests that injections of botulinum toxin A (Botox) enhanced benefits from occupational therapy for children with cerebral palsy affecting one limb.
In the study, Dr Remo N Russo, from Flinders University in Daw Park, South Australia, and colleagues randomly assigned 43 children with hemiplegic (one-sided) cerebral palsy to receive four sessions of occupational therapy (over 4 weeks) alone or in combination with a shot of Botox in the affected limb.
They reported that children treated with Botox showed a significantly better improvement in body structure and activities participation at 3 months compared with the children who were not treated with Botox.
Self-perception was also enhanced in the Botox group.
By 6 months, no differences were seen between the groups in activities participation or self-perception, but the benefit of Botox on body structure was still apparent.
“This study adds to previous studies investigating the effects of injection of botulinum toxin in the upper limb of children with cerebral palsy, but is unique given the findings related to improvement in self-worth,”.
