Injections of Botox may help patients who have had spinal surgery, according to one expert.
Many patients who suffer an injury to the spinal cord experience bladder over-activity, a condition that Botox may prevent, says Dr. Christopher Smith, an assistant professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Spinal injury may result in a lack of coordination between the bladder and the urethral sphincter, a condition called sphincter dyssynergia.
pinal patients often develop 'sphincter dyssynergia', which causes a lack of coordination between the bladder and the urethral sphincter when a person goes to the toilet.
The bladder and sphincter should work together when a person uses the toilet, says Dr. Smith.
The sphincter muscle should relax when the bladder contracts so that urine can flow normally through the lower urinary tract.
When the sphincter and bladder do not work together effectively, the patient may be unable to drain urine from the kidneys, which may lead to permanent kidney damage.
The condition may be prevented with an injection of Botox into the urethral sphincter after spinal surgery, says Dr. Smith.
He said: We have never looked at using botox early after spinal cord injury. If we find that bladder over-activity is driven by sphincter dysfunction, we can use botox to reduce complication.