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Physiotherapy Treatment of Bell's Palsy

Bell's Palsy causes temporary partial paralysis of facial muscles. Without treatment, recovery occurs for nearly all patients within one year and many patients recover within one month. Many patients chose to use physiotherapy treatment to help progress their recovery. If you want to use physiotherapy, you can choose to try facial exercises, electrical stimulation or both.

  1. Facial Exercises

    • Patients most often chose facial exercises as their main form of physiotherapy treatment for Bell's Palsy. Facial muscles atrophy very slowly, so you do not need to exercise to maintain muscles as you would for a broken arm or leg. Instead, you will use facial exercises to keep your brain trained in what electrical impulses are needed to control the different muscles in your face. This will help you transition back to using your facial muscles as you recover from Bell's Palsy and the paralysis goes away.

      Facial exercises for Bell's Palsy involve doing basic actions with the different muscle groups throughout your face. If you are seeing a doctor or physical therapist for your Bell's Palsy, he will be able to recommend specific exercises appropriate for your level of paralysis. If not, try thinking about the different muscles in your face, and exercising them from top to bottom. Furrow your brow, raise your eyebrows, slowly blink your eyes, and continue down to your chin.

      When performing these exercises, you should not exert yourself or worry much about whether you are successfully completing all of them. Instead perform the exercises with an ability that matches your natural recovery from Bell's Palsy. Remember that the exercises are intended to work your mind more than they are intended to work your muscles. Facial exercises can be preformed at home. You should go through the exercises three times each day.

    Electrical Stimulation

    • Some doctors recommend using electrical stimulation as an additional method of physiotherapy for Bell's Palsy, but other doctors believe that it does little to help recovery. Decide with your doctor or therapist whether electrical stimulation is right for you. Unlike facial exercises which you mostly perform at home, you will need to visit a therapist for electrical stimulation.

      Electrical stimulation uses small amounts of electricity to activate the muscles in your face. This causes your muscles to twitch as if electrical impulses from your brain activated them. During the stages of Bell's Palsy when your face is most paralyzed, this may be the only way for you to activate these facial muscles.

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