Botulinum Toxin Clinic
Targeted Neurological Care for Movement Disorders and Chronic Migraine
At our Botulinum Toxin Clinic, we offer expert care for patients living with complex neurological conditions. We specialize in the use of botulinum toxin injections, a proven, FDA-approved therapy for a variety of Movement Disorders like dystonia and hemifacial spasm, as well as chronic migraine and spasticity.
With advanced diagnostic tools, personalized treatment planning, and access to all four FDA-approved toxin formulations, we provide safe, precise, and effective care tailored to your individual needs.
What Is Botulinum Toxin (Botox) and How Does It Work?
Dr. Yasaman Kianirad provides a comprehensive neurological evaluation, confirms diagnosis, reviews patient history, and assess candidacy for botulinum toxin therapy.Botulinum toxin is a purified protein that works by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contractions. When injected directly into overactive muscles, it temporarily reduces excessive activity, helping to ease abnormal movements, improve abnormal posturing, and oftentimes relieves associated pain.
Botulinum toxin treatment is safe and widely used in medical practice. With the right doses accurately delivered to the involved muscles, it can significantly reduce symptoms with minimal risk. Treatments are localized, reversible, and repeatable every few months based on your response and needs. This treatment is covered by most health insurance plans, if the patient is deemed an appropriate candidate. It is ultimately the responsibility of the patient to contact their insurance plan to see if this is a covered service. Our team may be able to assist in confirmation.A full listing of accepted insurance plans is available here.
Our clinic provides botulinum toxin therapy for a range of conditions, including:
Movement Disorders
- Cervical Dystonia – Involuntary head and neck spasms, tremor, and posturing
- Blepharospasm – Uncontrolled blinking or eye closure due to eyelid muscle spasms
- Hemifacial Spasm – Involuntary twitching on one side of the face
- Limb or Trunk Dystonia – Abnormal posturing of the arms, legs, or torso
- Spasticity – Muscle stiffness in the arms and legs following a stroke or due to cerebral palsy, demyelinating disease like multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injury
- Sialorrhea (Excessive Drooling) – Excessive drooling due to poor control of facial and oral muscles
- Oromandibular Dystonia – Involuntary jaw or facial muscle contractions affecting speaking and eating
Chronic Migraine
For patients with 15 or more headache days per month that have not responded to traditional medications for migraines, botulinum toxin can significantly reduce the number and severity of migraines by calming overactive facial, neck, and shoulder muscles contributing to headache generation.
Spasticity
For patients who experience increased muscle tone and spasms due to a previous neurologic injury such as a stroke, brain or spinal cord lesions like in multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or even following resections of brain or spinal cord tumors, botulinum toxin can significantly reduce spasticity and associated abnormal posturing and pain.
Injections can also improve range of motion for weakened muscles so that patients can make more progress in their rehabilitation journeys, as well as prevent the formation of painful contractures (shortened tendons that cause excessive bending at joints).
How Botulinum Toxin Treatment Works
Initial Consultation
You will first undergo a comprehensive neurological evaluation, where we confirm your diagnosis, review your history, and assess your candidacy for botulinum toxin therapy. Every treatment plan is customized for your symptoms and goals.
Precision Injections
Injections are performed with great care and precision ensuring accurate targeting of small or deep muscles, such as those involved in the face, neck, and jaw. When necessary, we use a small machine called an electromyogram (EMG) to ensure we are providing the injections into muscles.
Treatment Onset and Duration
Effects typically begin within 10 to 14 days and can last up to 3 to 4 months. Many patients return for maintenance injections every 3 months, and we adjust dosages over time to match your evolving needs.
Why Choose Our Clinic for your Botulinum Toxin Injections?
- Specialized Expertise: All injections are performed by our fellowship-trained and experienced Movement Disorders neurologists who have done hundreds of these injections in their practice and during their training. They perform these injections for patients on a weekly basis.
- Comprehensive Toxin Access: We offer all four FDA-approved formulations to ensure you receive the most appropriate product.
- Personalized Treatment: Every injection plan is tailored to the unique presentation and impact of your condition.
- Compassionate, Ongoing Care: We build long-term relationships with our patients, ensuring consistent follow-up and symptom monitoring so that we can ensure injections are meeting our patients’ changing needs.
Safety and Considerations for Botulinum Toxin Injections
Although botulinum toxin is derived from a neurotoxin, it is extremely safe when used appropriately by experienced professionals. Side effects are typically mild and temporary, such as localized soreness or weakness in the injected area. Before treatment, your doctor will discuss any potential risks and answer all your questions.
Take the Next Step in Receiving Botulinum Toxin Injections
If you are living with any of the conditions mentioned above and have not found relief with other therapies, botulinum toxin may offer the improvement you need. Schedule an initial consultation with Drs. Yasaman Kianirad,Mitra Afshari, or Jonathan Bundy by calling (312) 355-0510. [AH1] Our staff will inform you if a formal referral is needed, however, most of the time it is not.
