CHANDLER, Ariz - Botox is commonly used to fight wrinkles, but it’s also being used to help stroke victims.
Brent Glickman-Williams suffered a stroke two years ago. He lost consciousness and was in a coma for three weeks.
“He was unable to speak. He had right-sided paralysis. He could understand, but he hadn’t been able to breathe for himself,” said his wife, Barbara Glickman-Williams.
The stroke left Brent in a wheelchair with little mobility. That’s until they found Dr. Sheba Shah from Orange Medical Pain Management.
“If these patients have these contractures, it's physically painful," said Shah. "They can't allow their muscles to relax. So the pain of all these conditions is helped tremendously with Botox. Botox is available for patients who have significant contractures of their joints, where they can't straighten up their knee, they can't extend their shoulder all the way."
After just one treatment of Botox being injected into Brent’s leg muscle, he noticed a difference.
“He can lift his leg … he can stand, and just supporting him, he can actually take a few steps," said Barbara. "If we had the cane, we could take more. He can stand here for several minutes. He couldn't even stand before the Botox because the leg would keep spasming. He couldn't support any weight on the leg."
Brent is now able to get back into physical therapy and the gym, but most importantly, get around and spend time with his family. “The quality of life is just amazing,” said Barbara.
Dr. Shah said when Botox is injected right into the muscle, it can stop the spasticity for three to six months at a time.