Publication: Botulinum toxin injections and stretching exercises lead to functional improvement

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Publication: Combined botulinum toxin injections into hip adductors and daily stretching exercises lead to functional improvement of gait parameters in HSP.

Scientists from Radboud University Medical Center and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour in Nijmegen, Netherlands, investigated the effects of botulinum toxin injection therapy combined with daily self-directed stretching exercises on a group of 25 HSP patients. The treatment improved, among other things, the step size as well as the self-chosen comfortable gait speed. The maximum gait speed was not affected by the treatment, which lasted a total of 16 weeks. An important limitation of this pilot study is the single-arm study design with no control group.

Reference: van Lith, B. J. H., J. D. den Boer, B. P. C. van de Warrenburg, V. Weerdesteyn and A. C. Geurts (2019). "Functional effects of botulinum toxin type A in the hip adductors and subsequent stretching in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia." J Rehabil Med.