Botulinum toxin type A was first developed as a therapy for disorders of localized muscle hyperactivity. In the 1960s, BoNT/A was first tested to treat strabismus. The major disease group that Botox is being used for is dystonias, which involve abnormal muscle posture.

BoNT/A has also been reported in use in pain management, headache, hyperhidrosis and Graves' ophthalmopathy, but these are not FDA-approved indications.