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Dr. Heather Blackburn injects Botox into back pain patient Kelly Anagos.

SOUTHLAKE — By some estimates, 90 percent of all people will experience back pain, the top complaint at the doctor's office.

Now, there is a novel approach to treating the chronic back pain that plagues millions, including Kelly Anagnos.

"It started out just as an ache in my neck," Anagnos said. "Now, it's really the whole upper back and neck area."

After 15 years of agonizing aches and failed therapies, Anagnos is trying toxin as treatment.

Botulinum toxin — the same treatment used for cosmetic purposes — is showing promise on chronic back pain.

Botox smoothes fine lines by paralyzing thin muscles in the face. Since back muscles are thicker, Botox doesn't stiffen them; instead, it relaxes them.

"And then we get them back into physical therapy," said spine specialist Dr. Heather Blackburn. "Because if I've gotten that muscle to relax down, I need to train that muscle to stay there. And that's why Botox works better — because it can last for three to six months for patients."

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Insurance paid for the Botox treatment Kelly Anagnos received.

Dr. Blackburn is one of the specialists at Spine Team Texas in Southlake using Botox. She said Botox works best on patients whose pain is linked to muscles, not disc disorders.

The duration of the Botox effect is enough time to completely rehab back muscles and permanently eliminate chronic pain.

Using Botox for the back is an off-label approach that is not yet proven in large studies, which means insurance may not cover it, either.

Without insurance, Botox for the back costs about $350 per treatment.

Insurance did pay for Anagnos' five minute procedure, which carries little risk.

"I'll only do one side at a time," Dr. Blackburn said. "We don't do both sides, and we're not peppering the spine from top to bottom, so it's very targeted, very focal because you're relaxing the muscles. And the muscles do offer support to the spine, so you wouldn't want to overdose them and relax all the muscles."

Doctors say patients should feel relief in about a week. Some small studies indicate patients feel their aches cut in half.

"I used to be able to walk a mile and not worry about it," Anagnos said about her back-pain-free days. "I would like to get to that point again."

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com