Use of botulinum toxin to heal atypical pressure ulcers in the palm

Botulinum Toxin Type A for the Treatment of Skin Ulcers: A Review Article

The normal biological wound healing process consists of three precisely and highly programmed phases that require optimal conditions including internal and external factors. Any negative factors that disrupt the sequence or time frame of the healing mechanism can result in a non-healing wound or chronic ulcers. Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) which is generally known as anti-contraction of muscles has been reported as a successful treatment in various types of chronic ulcers. The aim of this study is to review the outcome of treatment with BoNT-A for chronic skin ulcers. The results demonstrated some positive effects of BoNT-A on chronic ulcers. Ischemic ulcers secondary to Raynaud’s phenomenon seem to be the most promising type of ulcers that have benefited from BoNT-A. The rationale behind using BoNT-A to fasten the wound healing process is also discussed. Further clinical trial studies should be conducted to affirm the efficacy of wound healing using BoNT-A administration.

Healing hand ulcers caused by focal spasticity

Spasticity is a common manifestation of many upper motor neuron lesions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. In some cases, spastic fingers in the hand press hard into the palm, resulting in skin breakdown and atypical pressure ulcerations. We treated 10 such patients living in the nursing homes with long-standing treatment-resistant hand ulcers in our spasticity clinic first, with Botulinum toxin A (BoNTA) injection into the spastic muscles followed by dressing, splinting, and hand therapy. These ulcers failed to respond to standard treatment, causing significant pain, offensive smell, increased carer burden, and difficulty in maintaining hygiene as hands could barely be opened for dressing and therapy. We noted complete healing of ulcers with significant improvement in the following outcome measures-Modified Ashworth Scale for spasticity, Visual Analog Scale for pain, pressure ulcer grading for the ulcers, Fingertip to Palm distance for hand opening, Carer Burden Scale, and in the Goal Attainment Scale pre, 4 weeks, and 3 months postinjection with P values of .003, .003, .004, .005, .004, and .004, respectively. Reducing spasticity with BoNTA should be the first step in treating hand ulcerations caused by focal spasticity, followed by dressing, splinting, and hand therapy.