Botox clinic planned for kids with palsy

Enable Ireland is bidding to establish the country’s first botox clinic dedicated solely to the treatment of children with spasticity – a common symptom of cerebral palsy.

The provision of such a service would be of benefit to over 30 children who currently receive care at the organisation’s Galway services centre, as well as an estimated 150 in the wider Connacht region.

The clinic, which would be based at their children’s services centre on the Seamus Quirke Road, would mean that families currently having to travel to Temple Street, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, or the Central Remedial Clinic in Dun Laoghaire – for a treatment that takes under five minutes to complete – could be cared for on their own doorstep.

To provide this service, the charity needs to raise €50,000 to purchase an ultrasound machine which enables those administering the injections to do so precisely and accurately.

Spasticity is the severe tightening of muscles and joints. It causes extreme discomfort and restricts mobility for those with the condition.

The injection of botulinum toxin injections into the muscles of children suffering with spasticity is life-enhancing and provides enormous relief by easing muscle contracture and preventing bone deformities.

Mary O’Gorman, an Enable Ireland volunteer, explained that the transportation of children with poor mobility to Dublin can be very distressing, especially given that they are not guaranteed that they will have the treatment when they get there.

This is due to the heavy caseload of these clinics, something which could be greatly reduced by the opening of a Galway centre.

“I believe that services should be available locally if at all possible and these families could benefit from reduced waiting times,” she said.

Children usually have this treatment done on a monthly or bi-monthly basis by a doctor. Mary pointed out that it is common practice in other countries to have the injections administered by specialised physiotherapists – with one such physiotherapist already based at the Galway centre.

“It has been the case in the past where various organisations in Galway have had the equipment first and then they don’t have the staff – we’re the opposite here in that we have the staff; we just need the ultrasound machine,” she said.

Some of the services provided by the organisation in Galway include a consultant paediatrician, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a social worker and a speech and language therapist.

Adding a botox clinic to this would only improve the already outstanding standard of care they provide, but also allow medical professionals and families involved gain familiarity and build relationships.

Botox has been used in the treatment of medical conditions for over 20 years, for everything from migraines to, in this case, the relief of muscle contracture.

The €50,000 needed to purchase the ultrasound machine will be acquired through fundraising and it is hoped that people will give generously to improve lives and give comfort to children with disabilities.

“In the year of the 1916 commemorations, it would be great to help children with disabilities; let’s make Galway proud in 2016,” Mary said.

Donations can be made by dropping into Enable Ireland on the Seamus Quirke Road, in the Enable Ireland Charity Shop on High Street, or by visiting enableireland.ie and clicking on ‘donate now’.