Botox for Migraines & Jaw Pain
Do I need Botox? Will it help?
Short Answer
Yes for chronic migraines, where you have more than 15 a month. No for bruxism / jaw pain. Not useful for TMD/jaw pain – evidence shows only 30% effective and it's not addressing the reason why you have pain and dysfunction.
Its expensive, usually $600- $1000. Make sure a neurologist or oral medicine doctor injects you, ie someone with a lot of training, as it’s a medical condition, not a cosmetic condition.
I am treating a lot of clients who have been injected by skin clinics, cosmetic clinics and dentists and it has made the clients jaw much worse. You must have it assessed by an expert first. Botox for jaw pain / bruxism should be a last resort.
Long Answer
So Botox injections work well for chronic headaches/migraines which don’t respond to hands on treatment or the correct medication, work - life balance, or counselling - psychological or spiritual therapy.
All chronic migraine headache sufferers need counselling – either spiritual or psychological for a more lasting pain relief. These are the people that carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and a quick pill is not going to be the quick fix
Botox for jaw pain can help, but it only lasts 3-6 mths and you need to keep having the injections. Whereas jaw physio looks at the dysfunction and corrects it. Continual botox for bruxism, often changes the shape of your face, as you are stopping muscles that are essential for jaw movement - talking/eating, and other muscles in the area then have to work harder, so you get more dysfunction around this joint. Its just crazy to think you can reduce your bruxism with an injection first. Stop being lazy, and address your life, where are you too busy?, not self-caring enough? Slow down and spend the time dis engaging from toxic behaviour - bad diet, too much work, not working where you are appreciated, not working where it is your joy, having too many children and becoming a home slave - cooking/cleaning/washing, ie no sense of self and joy.
If your therapist injects the lateral pterygoid muscle you will get worse. As this is an important muscle for neutral positioning of the jaw, part of the core muscles, and atrophy/wastage of this muscle causes TMD. Make sure they inject your overactive muscles, usually masseter and sometimes medial pterygoid muscle.