Facial Palsy

Facial Palsy or Bell’s Palsy happens when the nerve that controls the facial muscles fails. This is almost always on one side of the face. This is in general temporary and start to recover in a few months. The loss of the nerve is often due to a swelling in the bony canal in the ear, which causes the n. facialis compression. When the swelling subsides, the movements in the facial muscles return most of the times. From the moment that the facial muscles starts to move again, it can be helpful to do mime therapy. Mime therapy is a way of exercising for the facial muscles. Paying attention to symmetry between the two halves of the face is very important. It can also offer solution strategies if there is a reduced recovery. One of the things that can happen during the recovery period is the development of synkinesis. A Synkinesis is a wrong regrow of the nerve and can cause unintentional unnecessary movements in the face. To reduce this and/or make it more manageable it is useful to make an appointment with an orofacial physiotherapist.