Botox future cure for common foot ailment

Botox to cure foot pain? A new Mexican study finds that Botox injections help treat the common foot ailment plantar fasciitis better than commonly used steroid treatments.

Common among both runners and overweight people, plantar fasciitis results when connective tissues on the sole of the foot, the plantar fascia, become inflamed. According to the scientists, steroid treatments can sometimes cause complications. In two to six percent of patients, steroid treatments can lead the plantar fascia to rupture.

Researchers from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico, devised a trial to compare steroid treatment with the botulinium toxin alternative, also known as Botox, which works by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, weakening the muscles for several months.

The scientists recruited 36 patients and divided them into randomized, double-blind groups, with one group being treated with steroids and the other group being treated with Botox. Both groups completed stretching exercises, another common treatment protocol.

While both groups appeared to be recovering, the Botox group reported less foot pain and evaluations found better foot function and alignment.

The findings, announced Thursday, recently appeared online in the journal Foot & Ankle International, published by SAGE.