peripheral facial paralysis
Peripheral facial palsy, also called Bell's facial palsy, is the loss of strength on one side of the face, leading to asymmetry of facial movements.
The face may appear "crooked", the eyes may not blink properly (one eye blinks, the other does not blink).
Facial paralysis often leads to the "crooked mouth" appearance.
And because of this, facial paralysis can be confused with stroke.
But facial paralysis happens due to "inflammation" in the nerve that moves the muscles of the face, called the facial nerve.
But, in general, peripheral facial paralysis is not associated with a stroke, but rather with an inflammation of the nerve that moves the face, called the "facial nerve".
TREATMENT OF FACIAL PALSY
The treatment of peripheral facial palsy has two parts: first, the treatment of the acute phase, which is done with anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticoids, for 7-14 days.
Afterwards, the rehabilitation treatment, whose main focus is thephysiotherapy.
Physical therapy, by the way, is a very important part of the treatment of facial paralysis.
Physical therapy should be started as soon as possible and should be continued until the physiotherapist recommends it, but in general it should last for more than 3 months.
The face may return completely to normal, or a small sequel may set in.
A full sequel is not common.
Botulinum toxin (Botox®) can be used both to maintain the symmetry of the face and to treat involuntary movements that may occur, called synkinesias.
Causes of Facial Paralysis
Inflammation of the facial nerve can be spontaneous, that is, there is no definite cause.
In some cases, nerve inflammation is due to activation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox.