Botulinum toxin: a new option for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia?

Abstract

Neuropathic pain can occur after injury to the peripheral and/or central nervous system, resulting in spontaneous pain, allodynia and hyperalgesia. One of the main causes of neuropathic pain is post-herpetic neuralgia. It occurs increasingly with age and that makes the treatment even more complicated due to the limitation caused by cognitive adverse effects. Combining therapies with different mechanisms of action is usual in clinical practice and new procedures are considered to treat this condition. Botulinum toxin type A has been used to treat certain disorders related to muscle overactivity. Not well known analgesic mechanisms have been proposed recently, independent of the muscle contraction.