This compression can be caused by a facial or neck muscles, bone, ligament or artery. In most cases, your surgeon can tell you what is the most likely cause of nerve compression based on the anatomic location of the trigger and quality of the associated headache and symptoms.
The goal of the procedure is to decompress the trapped nerve(s) that are responsible for the symptoms from the surrounding structures (muscle, bone, ligament or artery).
Botulinum toxin relaxes muscles. If your symptoms are caused by a muscle compressing the nerve, then most likely you feel improvement. However, if the nerve is compressed by an artery, bone or ligament, it is unlikely to have improvement.
