When I was traveling in Germany I had a bad bout of muscle pain. The condition has been diagnosed as myofascial pain syndrome. I was treated with physiotherapy and an injection of something called Dysport. It really helped. Should I go back for a second treatment?

Dysport® (also known as Reloxin) is a type of botulinum type A toxin (Botox). You may have heard about Botox treatment for cosmetic purposes. It is currently being used in Germany and other European countries for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).

Botox appears to reduce painful symptoms in the muscles by blocking nerve endings that signal pain messages to the brain. It also has muscle relaxant properties. The two effects combined together seem to help patients with chronic muscle pain.

Long-term studies have not been done yet to see if the positive effects will last.

European studies have not investigated the use of multiple injections of Dysport®. Most studies have been small in number using a single injection of this product.

Dysport® is currently only available in Europe and slightly different from Botox®, which is available in the U.S. Dysport® isn't expected to be available in the U.S. until 2008.