Face paralysis treatment

The OHSU Facial Nerve Center offers treatment for children and adults with facial nerve disorders. Our doctors and therapists understand the challenges for people who are unable to move muscles in their face due to trauma or other conditions such as Bell's Palsey. With our expertise, we create an individualized plan for each person to improve your ability to blink, smile, speak look better and help overall well-being. People with sudden new facial weakness or long-standing facial paralysis are treated at the clinic. We offer many different types of therapies, including rehabilitation, retraining and surgical treatments. The Facial Nerve Center is part of the OHSU Nerve Center, which is unique on the West Coast for our multidisciplinary approach to nerve disorders. We bring the collective expertise of neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, physical medicine and plastic surgery to bear on determining the right treatment options for each patient. Additionally, we have support systems for patients in the OHSU Rehabilitation Services, OHSU Comprehensive Pain Center and OHSU Neurology. Facial nerve disorders mean that people can't control muscles in their faces on one or both sides. This can lead to the inability to move muscles, facial spasms, inability to smile and facial drooping. Combined, these symptoms can affect how we communicate, express emotions and how others perceive us. Facial paralysis affects different parts of t...

Facial paralysis is the total loss of movement of the muscles in the face, usually on one side. The muscles that control facial expression, including movement of the eyebrows, eyelids, lips and cheeks, are all affected. The inability to move one or both sides of your face is not just damaging to your self-esteem, but also has devastating physical side effects. Facial paralysis, whether caused by injury, stroke or a tumor, can cause extreme difficulty with breathing, eating, speaking and can even severely affect vision. Causes The most common causes of facial paralysis are cancerous tumors in the brain, ear canal or in the salivary glands (parotid gland). The tumor itself may damage the facial nerves, which causes the facial paralysis, or a surgery to remove the tumor may result in the damage. In some cases, it is a combination of both. Facial paralysis may also be caused by a condition called Bell's palsy, which damages the facial nerves. Rarely, diseases such as polio or Lyme disease can cause facial paralysis. IU Health Center for Facial Paralysis offers advanced surgical techniques to improve reanimation of facial muscles after facial paralysis. Our specialists include facial plastic surgeons, ear surgeons, neurologists and neurosurgeons. Your specific treatment plan will depend on the scope and timeline of the injury. Treatment options include: Nerve Re-innervation If you have suffered an injury recently (within the last 18 months), facial plastic surgeons can relocate...

Bell’s palsy, injury, stroke, tumors, or infection can stop the nerves and muscles in your face from working. Or, you may have struggled to move one or both sides of your face since birth. Facial paralysis affects how you talk, chew, close your eyes, and smile. Whatever the cause, facial paralysis has a big impact on your life, physically, emotionally, and socially. Facial reanimation procedures can treat your facial paralysis. We can help you regain the function, symmetry, and expression in your face. Face paralysis, partial or complete, can be a sign of a What If I’ve Had Facial Paralysis for a Long Time? Our facial reanimation team has successfully treated people with long-term facial paralysis. You may have had treatment before. A provider may have told you your paralysis won’t improve. Even so, our experts may still be able to help. We’ll work with you to: • Understand your goals • Create a treatment plan • Connect you to physical therapy after surgery Your care and recovery team may include eye doctors, neurologists, surgeons, physical therapists, and ENT specialists. We also offer Facial Reanimation Treatment Every case of facial paralysis is unique. Your face may droop on one side because of a previous stroke, injury, or surgery. Or you may have tightness or twitching that causes exaggerated movements all over. We perform reanimation surgery to return natural, symmetrical movement to your eyes and mouth. Even if your paralysis is only on one side, successful treatm...

Share on Pinterest Stroke, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy can cause paralysis. Paralysis is the loss of voluntary muscle function in one or more parts of the body as a result of damage to the nervous system. The nervous system has two parts: • the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord. • the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which contains the nerves outside of the CNS The nerve cells, or neurons, in the PNS serve several functions. Motor neurons, for instance, regulate muscle movement. Sensory neurons send information — about pressure, pain, and temperature, for example — to the CNS. Paralysis occurs when nerve signals are interrupted as a result of damage to the nerves, spinal cord, or brain. Doctors classify paralysis based on the following characteristics: Severity The degree of muscle function loss determines the severity of paralysis. Partial paralysis, or paresis, causes significant muscle weakness and impaired movement. However, people with paresis retain a small degree of control over the affected muscles. Complete paralysis occurs when a person cannot move the affected body part. Duration Duration refers to how long the paralysis lasts. Some medical conditions, such as sleep paralysis, stroke, and Bell’s palsy, can cause temporary paralysis. Over time, people can regain partial or complete control over the affected muscles. Other conditions that can cause the problem temporarily include hyperkalemic or CACNA1S or SCN4A gene...

If your face is droopy, you may have facial paralysis, which is a loss of facial movement due to nerve damage. Your facial muscles may appear to droop or become weak. It can happen on one or both sides of the face. The causes of facial paralysis include: • infection or inflammation of the • • • Facial paralysis can come on suddenly (in the case of Bell’s palsy, for example) or happen gradually over a period of months (in the case of a head or neck tumor). Depending on the cause, the paralysis might last for a short or extended period of time. Bell’s palsy According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, No one knows exactly why Bell’s palsy occurs. It may be related to a viral infection of the facial nerve. The good news is that most people with Bell’s palsy recover completely in about six months. Stroke A more serious cause of facial paralysis is Other causes Other causes of facial paralysis or weakness include: • • head or neck tumor • • • • Birth can cause temporary facial paralysis in some babies. However, 90 percent of babies with this type of injury recover completely without treatment. You can also have facial paralysis at birth due to certain congenital syndromes, such as Mobius syndrome and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Bell’s palsy While facial paralysis is often alarming, it does not always mean that you are having a stroke. The most common diagnosis is in fact Bell’s palsy. Symptoms of Bell’s palsy can include a combination of: • facia...

While there’s not a known During Bell’s palsy, one side of the face becomes weak or paralyzed. To help speed up the recovery process, many people choose to do Exercises to Help Bell’s Palsy Facial exercises and physical therapy for Bell’s palsy help to increase muscle strength and to regain facial coordination from this temporary facial paralysis. Most exercises should be done three or four times a day in short sessions, with up to 30 repetitions per exercise. Facial Stimulation Before you begin the facial exercises, it’s important to warm up and stimulate your muscles first.To correctly do these facial exercises, experts suggest sitting in front of a mirror so that you can clearly see your face and watch your muscle movements. • Step 1: Begin by trying to move every part of your face slowly and gently. • Step 2: Use your fingers to gently lift your eyebrows. One side will lift higher than the other, but don’t apply too much force to the side that is drooping. • Step 3: Using your fingers, gently massage the different parts of your face, including your forehead, nose, cheeks, and mouth. Nose and Cheek Exercises After warming up, you can work on the area of your cheeks and nose. This area is important since any stiffness or weak muscles in this zone can affect the strength of the entire face as you recover. • Step 1: Using your fingers, gently push up the skin next to your nose on the affected side while trying to wrinkle your nose. • Step 2: Try to scrunch up your face, fo...

In cases of facial nerve paralysis that have lasted, in general, 1.5 years or less, a nearby motor nerve can be connected to a portion of the facial nerve in order to restore movement. Please see detailed descriptions of each procedure with Before and After results in the “Reanimation Surgery” section. One of the most common nerve transfer procedures is called the nerve to masseter transfer [12]. This involves the use of the nerve to the masseter muscle as a donor nerve to supply input to the paralyzed facial nerve in order to restore a patient’s smile. Facelift-type incisions are used to access both the nerve to masseter and the main trunk of the facial nerve. The branch of the facial nerve that commonly produces a smile, the buccal branch, is carefully divided and connected to the masseteric nerve. The nerve to masseter is then connected to the facial nerve, thereby providing nerve input to the paralyzed facial nerve. After 6 months, patients will be able to initiate facial movement by biting down (activating the masseteric nerve). Patients usually stay in the hospital for one or two days following this procedure. This is a relatively reliable method to restore movement to the corner of the mouth. In order to simultaneously provide better resting symmetry to the face, a Fascia Lata Sling or Hypoglossal nerve transfer may be performed simultaneously (see below). In order to restore resting symmetry or “tone” to the face, the hypoglossal nerve may be used as a donor nerve ...

Overview What is facial paralysis? Facial paralysis happens when your facial nerve ( Facial nerve damage can occur for several reasons, including infection, trauma or stroke. It can also occur without a known cause, which is referred to as Bell’s palsy. Face paralysis may complete or partial and can be temporary or permanent. Possible Causes What causes facial paralysis? Some people are born with facial nerve paralysis. In people who aren’t born with facial paralysis, the condition develops for one of two reasons: • Your facial nerve, which transmits signals from your brain to your facial muscles, becomes damaged or swollen. • The area of your brain that carries signals to your facial muscles becomes damaged. Facial paralysis causes may include: • • • • Skull fracture. • • Head, neck or • Facial nerve • • • • Care and Treatment How is facial paralysis diagnosed? A healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and review your medical history. They’ll perform a physical examination and ask you to try to make various facial movements, like: • Opening and closing your eyes. • Raising your eyebrows. • Smiling. • Frowning. In addition to a physical examination, your healthcare provider may request imaging tests, such as: • • • How is facial paralysis treated? Facial paralysis treatment depends on the underlying cause. For example: • If you develop facial paralysis as a result of stroke, your healthcare provider will focus on treating stroke. • If facial paralysis is a result ...

Bell’s palsy temporarily weakens or paralyzes facial muscles. A pinched facial nerve causes this paralysis, or palsy. People with this type of facial nerve palsy develop a droopy appearance on one — or sometimes both — sides of the face. The condition isn’t serious and often resolves in a few months without treatment. Overview Your face droops on one side and you may have a lopsided smile, or an eyelid that won’t close. What is Bell’s palsy? Bell’s palsy causes temporary With Bell’s palsy, your face droops on one side or, rarely, both sides. You may have a lopsided smile, or an eyelid that won’t close. These effects typically last several months and go away without treatment. The condition gets its name from Sir Charles Bell, a Scottish surgeon who first described it during the 19th century. How common is Bell’s palsy? About 40,000 people in the U.S. develop Bell’s palsy every year. Who might have Bell’s palsy? Bell’s palsy affects men and women equally. It typically occurs in people between the ages of 15 and 60. You may be more prone to Bell’s palsy if you are pregnant or have: • Autoimmune disease. • • Family history of Bell’s palsy. • Cold sores ( • • • Can you get Bell’s palsy more than once? It’s unusual to get Bell’s palsy more than once in a lifetime, but it can happen. A recurrence is most likely within two years of the first incident. The facial nerve palsy may affect the same side of your face or the opposite side. You’re more at risk for a recurrence if you hav...