Bell's Palsy Treatment in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
●
Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the
muscles on one side of the face. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and
significantly improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of the face appear
to droop. Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side resists
closing.
●
Bell’s palsy is also known as acute peripheral facial palsy of
unknown cause. It can occur at any age. The exact cause is unknown. Experts
think it’s caused by swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the
muscles on one side of the face. It could be caused by a reaction that occurs
after a viral infection.
● Symptoms usually start to improve within a few
weeks, with complete recovery in about six months. A small number of people
continue to have some Bell’s palsy symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell’s palsy
occurs more than once.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of Bell’s palsy come on suddenly and may
include:
● Rapid onset of mild weakness to total
paralysis on one side of your face — occurring within hours to days
● Facial droop and difficulty making facial
expressions, such as closing your eye or smiling
● Drooling
● Pain around the jaw or in or behind your ear
on the affected side
● Increased sensitivity to sound on the affected
side
● Headache
● A loss of taste
● Changes in the amount of tears and saliva you
produce
In rare cases, Bell’s palsy can affect the
nerves on both sides of your face.
Causes
Although the exact reason Bell’s palsy occurs isn’t clear, it’s
often related to having a viral infection. Viruses that have been linked to
Bell’s palsy include viruses that cause:
● Cold sores and genital herpes (herpes simplex)
● Chickenpox and shingles (herpes zoster)
● Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr)
● Cytomegalovirus infections
● Respiratory illnesses (adenovirus)
● German measles (rubella)
● Mumps (mumps virus)
● Flu (influenza B)
● Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (coxsackievirus)
The nerve that controls facial muscles passes
through a narrow corridor of bone on its way to the face. In Bell’s palsy, that
nerve becomes inflamed and swollen — usually related to a viral infection.
Besides facial muscles, the nerve affects tears, saliva, taste and a small bone
in the middle of the ear.
Risk factors
Bell’s palsy occurs more often in people who:
● Are pregnant, especially during the third
trimester, or who are in the first week after giving birth
● Have an upper respiratory infection, such as
the flu or a cold
● Have diabetes
● Have high blood pressure
● Have obesity
Recurrent attacks of Bell’s palsy are rare.
But when they do recur, there’s often a family history of recurrent attacks.
This suggests that Bell’s palsy might have something to do with your genes.
Complications
A mild case of Bell’s palsy typically disappears within a month.
Recovery from a more severe case where the face was completely paralyzed can
vary. Complications may include:
● Irreversible damage to your facial nerve.
● Irregular regrowth of nerve fibers. This may
result in involuntary contraction of certain muscles when you’re trying to move
other muscles (synkinesis). For example, when you smile, the eye on the
affected side may close.
● Partial or complete blindness of the eye that
won’t close. This is caused by excessive dryness and scratching of the clear
protective covering of the eye (cornea).
Diagnosis
There’s no specific test for Bell’s palsy.
Your health care provider will look at your face and ask you to move your
facial muscles by closing your eyes, lifting your brow, showing your teeth and
frowning, among other movements.
Other conditions — such as a stroke, infections, Lyme disease,
inflammatory conditions and tumors — can cause facial muscle weakness that
mimics Bell’s palsy. If the cause of your symptoms isn’t clear, your health
care provider may recommend other tests, including:
● Electromyography (EMG). This test can confirm
the presence of nerve damage and determine its severity. An EMG measures the
electrical activity of a muscle in response to stimulation. It also measures
the nature and speed of the conduction of electrical impulses along a nerve.
● Imaging scans. Magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) may be needed on occasion to rule out
other possible sources of pressure on the facial nerve, such as a tumor or
skull fracture.
● Blood tests. There is no blood test for Bell’s
palsy. But blood tests can be used to rule out Lyme disease and other infections.
Treatment
●
Most people with Bell’s palsy recover fully — with or without
treatment. There’s no one-size-fits-all treatment for Bell’s palsy. But your
health care provider may suggest medications or physical therapy to help speed
your recovery. Surgery is rarely an option for Bell’s palsy.
● Because the eye on the affected side doesn’t
close, it’s important to take steps to protect and care for that eye. Using
lubricating eye drops during the day and an eye ointment at night will help
keep your eye moist. Wearing glasses or goggles during the day and an eye patch
at night can protect your eye from getting poked or scratched. In severe cases
of Bell’s palsy, an eye doctor may need to monitor the eye.
Medications
Commonly used medications to treat Bell’s palsy include:
● Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. These are
powerful anti-inflammatory agents. If they can reduce the swelling of the
facial nerve, the nerve will fit more comfortably within the bony corridor that
surrounds it. Corticosteroids may work best if they’re started within several
days of when your symptoms started. Steroids started early improve the
likelihood of complete recovery.
● Antiviral drugs. The role of antivirals
remains unsettled. Antivirals alone have shown no benefit compared with placebo.
Antivirals added to steroids may benefit some people with Bell’s palsy, but
this is still unproved.
Despite this, an antiviral drug, such as valacyclovir (Valtrex) or acyclovir
(Zovirax), is sometimes given in combination with prednisone in people with severe
facial palsy..
Surgery
●
In the past, decompression surgery was used to relieve the
pressure on the facial nerve by opening the bony passage that the nerve passes
through. Today, decompression surgery isn’t recommended. Facial nerve injury
and permanent hearing loss are possible risks associated with this surgery.
● Rarely, plastic surgery may be needed to
correct lasting facial nerve problems. Facial reanimation surgery helps make
the face look more even and may restore facial movement. Examples of this type
of surgery include an eyebrow lift, an eyelid lift, facial implants and nerve
grafts. Some procedures, such as an eyebrow lift, may need to be repeated after
several years.
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating Bell’s Palsy and are
your source for expert treatment of Bell’s Palsy in Westminster and Denver
Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and
chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many
other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston
technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop
table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your
Premier destination for Bell’s Palsy Treatment in Westminster Colorado and
Denver Colorado Chiropractor.