ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT OF FACIAL PALSY

Authors

  • Syed Zahid Hussain Bokhari
  • Syeda Samina Zahid

Abstract

Background: Bell’s palsy is an idiopathic, acute peripheral-nerve palsy involving the facial nervewhich supplies all the muscles of facial expression. This study was conducted to evaluate theeffects of Electro-Acupuncture on patients with Facial Palsy. Methods: This study was conductedon patients with facial palsy at a private clinic at Peshawar during 1999–2009, and 49 cases wereincluded in the study. All those cases that were within first two weeks of illness or who had relatedhistory of stroke or they had upper motor neuron lesion were not included in the study. Electroacupuncture was used as the main therapeutic technique to treat these cases. Patients weresubjected to acupuncture treatment at four major points on the face for 20–25 minutes everydayfor 10 days. Specific points were used for nasolabial fold and watering of the eye. After rest for aweek patients were again evaluated and another course of treatment comprising of 5–10 days wassufficient in most cases. Frequency of electro-acupuncture is kept at 60–80 cycles per minute.Results: Total number of patients studied was 49 with duration of illness as early as 3 weeks to ayear and above. Cases with duration of illness from 3 weeks onward showed rapid recovery ofpalsy symptoms with electro-acupuncture. All cases showed recovery. Palsy of the angle of themouth did not recover completely. Conclusion: Electro-acupuncture is effective in treating facialpalsy cases.Keywords: Facial palsy, Bell’s palsy, Electro-acupuncture

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Published

2010-12-01