The symptoms of Bell’s palsy (also known as acute peripheral facial palsy), include sudden weakness in your facial muscles. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and significantly improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of your face appear to droop. Your smile is one-sided, and your eye on that side resists closing.
The exact cause of facial palsy is unknown. It can occur at any age. It’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of your face. Or it might be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection.
Signs and symptoms of Bell’s palsy come on suddenly and may include:
Bell’s palsy occurs more often in people who:
At Vivacare Advanced Physiotherapy & Pain Clinic, our physiotherapists will assess all the muscles involved. An individualized treatment plan will be designed which will include Electrical Muscle Stimulation, manual therapy for facial muscles and facial exercises to help in quick and complete recovery.
You will be provided a home exercise regime to help strengthen the weak muscles and stretch the opposite side’s tight/shortened muscles. Guidelines for eye care will also be provided to you.
Bell’s palsy symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor promptly to rule out other causes of facial weakness (such as stroke); once confirmed, starting facial physiotherapy early gives the best chance of a full, symmetric recovery.
Most people recover significant to full function within three to six months, especially with early treatment; recovery pace varies by individual and severity.
Yes, once your physiotherapist has taught you the correct technique — doing the wrong exercises or overdoing them can encourage unwanted synkinesis (unwanted associated movements), so guided instruction matters.
Recurrence is uncommon but possible, occurring in a small percentage of people, sometimes on the same side and sometimes the other.
No — but the sudden facial weakness can look similar, which is why urgent medical evaluation is important to rule out stroke before starting facial physiotherapy.
Yes, when taught correctly — it can help maintain circulation and flexibility in the affected muscles, but should be done as part of your guided program rather than improvised.
