Because of its freezing effects on muscle, Botox is used for many conditions apart from wrinkle relief, including back pain.

When most of us hear the word Botox, we think of aging celebrities walking the red carpet with arched eyebrows and frozen smiles. But its rejuvenating effects are just one of its uses. Botox has been injected to counter certain neck and shoulder muscle spasms, uncontrolled blinking, and severe sweating.

Because of its ability to paralyze muscle tissue, some people have tried it to combat debilitating back pain, hoping to find the back pain relief that has eluded them.

Botox (also known as Botulinum toxin type A) is a drug created from a toxin called Clostridium botulinum, which causes a type of food poisoning that can be fatal. Beyond its well-known results as a wrinkle remover, when used in very small amounts, Botox has been proven to be beneficial for some medical conditions by freezing muscles in place. Among them is cervical dystonia, a condition characterized by severe contractions in the neck and shoulder muscles.

"Botox is a toxin or poison that works at the microscopic level of the nerves to paralyze muscle," says Jason M. Highsmith, MD, a neurosurgeon at Charleston Brain and Spine in Charleston, S.C. and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Back Pain. "It is theorized to reduce back pain by helping reduce muscle tone and improve flexibility and range of motion."

This explains why Botox helps cervical dystonia, and why it's been tried as a treatment for back pain.

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Related: Managing Acute Back Pain

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Botox: Proceed With Caution

While some patients may report success with Botox as a treatment for back pain and it is generally considered safe in the hands of a skilled physician, one concern about its use is that there is no medical research indicating that it works any better on back pain than a placebo. Without any studies to prove its effectiveness, it may be impossible to know how likely Botox is to help you.

Another concern about Botox is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the government agency that regulates food, drugs, vaccines, and medical devices, has not approved Botox as a treatment for back pain.

According to Dr. Highsmith, there are some people who should not get Botox for back pain — those with arthritis, disk-related pain, or pinched nerves. The only candidates appropriate for Botox treatment are those with muscular back pain — and the willingness to proceed at their own risk.

In addition to the lack of scientific proof of the effectiveness of Botox, it can also cause a loss of muscle tone in the treated areas, the exact opposite of what happens in physical therapy.

In the best-case scenario, results are short-lived — as they are with any use of Botox. Each injection lasts only a few months before needing to be repeated and, at several hundred dollars per treatment, Botox can add up to a considerable expense over time.

The bottom line is that while Botox can help with certain specific medical conditions, as of now no medical research indicates that back pain treatment is one of them. If you've exhausted all of the traditional routes for back pain relief, including hot or cold therapy, exercise, medication, and steroid injections, and want to try another approach before resorting to surgery, talk to your back pain specialist about whether Botox is worth a try.