Botox injections help paralyzed man walk again

At the age of 26 Russell McPhee, now 49, suffered a stroke and was told he would never walk again.

“I felt my life had ended,” he said of the accident. “I lost my job, my wife left me, I ended up with nothing.”

“I thought I would die in my wheelchair,” he said.

But, after  botox injections, he can now walk unassisted for up to 20 meters. McPhee greatly improved after he was injected with botulinum toxin at the St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation Hospital in Frankston, Victoria. Within a month, he could stand up and walk short distances.

“My life has started all over again. I have seen people cry when they realise I’m standing beside my chair. Tough men, blokes I went to school with and played sport with, weep when they see me.”

Botox is an accepted treatment for the type of paralysis commonly associated with strokes. Before becoming a cosmetic use, botox was used to treat muscle spasms.  However, patients usually show the best effects if they are treated soon after a stroke and such a dramatic improvement after so long is almost unheard of.

Nathan Johns, Russell McPhee’s doctor, said Mr McPhee’s extraordinary strength of will had helped him walk again.

“Usually giving a patient botulinum toxin relieves the stiffness by relaxing the muscle, but it also weakens the muscle which means the patient would not regain much mobility,” he said.

“But Russell had unusually good muscle power despite the fact that he had been in a wheelchair for so long.”

source - Telegraph.co.uk

WTF were they thinking

• I read this article and I still say huh?
• How does botox help you walk?
• What’s next, breast implants can cure blindness?
• Did he crawl before he walked?
• Does he need Forrest Gump leg braces?
• Run Russell, Run ….