LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Facial: Facial Paralysis
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When facial nerve function is abnormal following parotid surgery, it is important to distinguish the cause of the weakness. The most common cause is nerve stretching that occurs during tumor removal. In that situation, complete recovery is likely. The degree of nerve weakness appears at the time of recovery. Complete facial paralysis takes longer to recover from than mild facial weakness. For additional information
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This chapter will introduce the concept and practice of neuromuscular retraining for facial paralysis. Qualities that differentiate neuromuscular retraining from other non-surgical therapies will be discussed. Appropriate candidates for treatment will be identified and optimal timelines for referral presented. Specific techniques for treating flaccid paralysis as well as synkinesis will be outlined.
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When the facial nerve is damaged in its main stalk or in a branch, some or all of one side of the face becomes paralyzed. This injury can be repaired as shown in Figure 3 below. The nerve can often be repaired with stitches. However, the facial paralysis may require several months or years to subside because nerves grow very slowly and sometimes do not completely heal.
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Bell's palsy is a rapid onset paralysis of the facial musculature on one side of the face, without an apparent cause. It ordinarily affects all branches of the nerve, from the forehead to the neck. A viral illness preceding the paralysis, ear pain, changes in taste, facial numbness, and tongue numbness are commonly associated symptoms.
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This story at Forbes.com talks about a procedure being used to restore the ability to smile by patients who have lost that ability due to facial paralysis. The most notable gains made among patients having the surgery are reduction in depression and increase in happiness. Those seem laudable goals for the procedure, called temporalis tendon transfer, in a Baltimore study lead by Dr. Patrick Byrne, director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery in the department of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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An otolaryngologist is consulted to help surgically treat many causes of facial nerve paralysis that will not resolve on their own. These conditions include a trapped nerve that needs to be released to function normally, which can be seen with FACIAL TRAUMA, tumors, or severe OTITIS MEDIA. The otolaryngologist is ... skilled in surgically connecting a facial nerve that has been divided by trauma.
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Facial Paralysis