What is long-standing facial palsy?

Many patients who did not receive early treatment after facial palsy continue to feel subtle discomfort for years, even after the face appears to have recovered.

It is generally known that when facial palsy lasts more than 15 days, degeneration of the facial nerve

can lead to lingering effects or permanent impairment, so leaving it untreated may result in lasting effects.

About 3 months after onset, facial palsy enters the stage of lingering effects, and after 6 months it moves into the stage of advanced lingering effects.

In long-standing facial palsy, the facial nerve pathway regenerates slowly, and the regenerating nerve branches are weak and thin, so they do not carry facial nerve signals well.

In most cases of long-standing facial palsy, the facial nerve has been disrupted. There may be swelling and inflammation in the surrounding nerve tissue,

and sometimes nerve branches reconnect incorrectly during regeneration, leaving lingering effects.

Symptoms of long-standing facial palsy

If facial palsy is not treated early, it progresses to the stage of lingering effects from about 3 months after onset.

The longer facial palsy lasts, the more the paralyzed facial muscles atrophy and stiffen, making recovery harder.

The facial nerve pathway regenerates slowly, and the regenerating nerve branches are weak and thin, so they do not carry facial nerve signals well.

Our approach to lingering effects of facial palsy

Integrated care for the facial nerve as part of one signaling system

The facial nerve starts at the base of the brain and reaches the face, but in the body as a whole it is connected as one signaling system.

When organ function declines and circulation is poor, cells that support facial nerve recovery are not produced.

If there is a problem in the spinal nerves connected to the brain, the peripheral nervous system can also break down, and facial palsy symptoms may not improve even when the facial nerve pathway is addressed.

To care for lingering effects of facial palsy, Ebian Korean Medicine Clinic examines the condition of the whole body, not just the face.

Key points of care for long-standing facial palsy

Generally, about 60–70% of people with facial palsy are reported to recover without lasting effects.

In other words, 6–7 out of 10 people recover, but 3–4 do not return to how their face looked before and are left with lingering effects.

Because the facial nerve tissue recovers more slowly over time, and because incorrect nerve connections can form during regeneration when the pathway has been disrupted, lingering effects can remain;

so when facial palsy symptoms appear, prompt care using several approaches rather than one is important.

Patients more likely to develop lingering effects of facial palsy

Hwalan acupuncture

Combined acupuncture for paralyzed facial muscles

Thread-embedding acupuncture

Aims to support the facial fascia and the expression and retaining ligaments to help correct uneven facial muscles

Thread-embedding acupuncture places medical threads in the face to support the facial fascia and the expression and retaining ligaments and help correct uneven facial muscles.

It is also intended to act as a guide so that gap junctions in nerve cell membranes form in the right direction.

Our thread-embedding acupuncture for facial palsy uses three types of thread—deep, fascial, and expression threads.

Because facial palsy symptoms differ from patient to patient, we do not rely on a single type of thread;

threads are combined according to the degree of muscle weakness, paralysis, and abnormal expression.

Fine facial acupuncture

Needles thinner than a hair to address subtle problems in the small expression muscles

About 100–150 fine needles thinner than a hair are placed on the paralyzed areas of the face.

Fine facial acupuncture is used to help with awkward facial expressions.

After the main facial palsy symptoms are addressed with thread-embedding acupuncture, fine facial acupuncture

addresses subtle problems in the small expression muscles,

to help you make natural facial expressions.

Nerve-regeneration pharmacopuncture

Herbal extract injected directly at facial nerve acupoints

An herbal extract is injected directly at facial nerve acupoints to support the growth of new facial nerve branches from the ends of damaged nerve pathways.

Facial nerve pharmacopuncture includes two types of pharmacopuncture.

One is intended to reduce swelling and inflammation around the damaged facial nerve pathway and support nerve tissue recovery.

The other injects substances extracted from bee venom at facial nerve acupoints (bee venom pharmacopuncture).

Facial electroacupuncture

Electrical stimulation along the direction of the paralyzed muscle fibers

Facial electroacupuncture applies fine electrical stimulation to stiff facial muscles, repeatedly contracting and relaxing them.

Our facial electroacupuncture applies electrical stimulation along the course of the facial nerve pathway.

For peripheral nerve disorders, we combine low-frequency stimulation and look at the condition of the paralyzed muscles.

Facial nerve balance care

addressing both the peripheral and central nervous systems of the face

Chuna manual therapy for the nerves

Rebalances nerve signaling from the cervical spine down through the spine

A nerve-focused Chuna therapy that restores balance
from the cervical spine through the spine
so that peripheral facial nerve signals are transmitted actively and smoothly.

When an imbalance in the spinal cord throws the body's center off
and the muscles around the head and neck—where the facial nerve nucleus is located—tighten
and build up pressure, Chuna manual therapy for the nerves
is needed to re-establish the body's center.

Deep abdominal moxibustion

Warming stimulation of abdominal acupoints that influence the facial nerve

Heat is delivered up to 10 cm beneath the skin of the abdomen to promote the circulation of qi and blood in the internal organs and blood flow to the facial nerve.

Abdominal circulation plays an important role in the body's overall facial nerve signaling,

and moxibustion on acupoints that influence the facial nerve may help when the face feels tingly or has lost sensation.