Can more regular Botox injections stop the calf muscle from getting to tight?
This project is about understanding how often to use Botox and perhaps why some children respond less to Botox injections over time. Botox helps to relax tight muscles and keep them long in children with cerebral palsy, but it only lasts around 3 months. Children may get Botox once or more often in a year. What this project is trying to find out is how often Botox should be used to keep muscles as long as possible. To answer this, we will do tests that measure calf length and strength, take ultrasound pictures of the calf muscles, and do some questionnaires. Some children get less effect from the Botox over time and it is unsure why. It may be because they are ‘stiffer’ and the Botox can’t work as well, or it may be because they develop resistance (antibodies) to the Botox. The project will be studying genetics and blood samples to help understand this issue. This project will study 60 young children with cerebral palsy who are able to walk. There will be two groups: 30 children will r
