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to hear from Dr Nigel Smyth, Consultant Stroke Physician, about the Neurotox Machine and how it will benefit patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.
A complication post stroke (or other neurological injury) can be the development of increased stiffness (spasticity) in affected muscles. This can cause a loss of function, pain and poor positioning of limbs. Injections with Botulinum toxin can relax the muscle improving patient function, rehabilitation ability and relieve discomfort. Muscles (especially smaller groups) can be hard to identify but the use of a Neurotox machine can help to identify individual muscles allowing more focused and effective use of Botulinum toxin.
There are over 700 stroke admissions per year at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust and 30% of these will develop some form of muscle spasticity. Symptoms often develop late and patients have to be sent to Southampton where there is a long waiting list.
for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester
“There is a move to treat patients earlier as inpatients and we hope to increase our provision of this. The Neurotox would increase our selection of suitable patients, it would allow more focused injection of Botox (especially for smaller muscles such as those in the hand) and would allow easier identification of muscle groups meaning less discomfort for the patient.
Recent Royal College of Physician guidelines have recommended early Botox therapy (within two weeks of stroke) using EMG guidance. Within stroke we have an enthusiastic group of Doctors and Therapists keen to apply this practice”