In this article, we will look at the symptoms and treatment of facial neuritis.
Pathology in medicine is also called "Bell's palsy". This disease is an inflammation of the cerebral nerves. With it, a person can no longer control his facial expressions, he is not able to raise his eyebrows, smile or frown. In this case, pronounced asymmetry occurs along with the distortion of facial features.
Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve should be timely.
Features of the disease
This disease is more common than inflammation of any other nerves. This is due to the structure of the facial bones, or rather, their insufficient width. In this regard, the facial nerve undergoes oxygen starvation, and, in addition, it is pinched and inflammation appears. Most often, the change is observed on one side of the face, but bilateral lesions are also possible.
This disease mainly affectsin the cold season, so it is most often found in the northern regions. The main feature of the course of the disease is the duration of rehabilitation. In a hospital setting, neuritis of the facial nerve is treated in thirty days, and the recovery period lasts at least three months. But there is a small percentage of patients in whom their original facial expressions cannot be restored. In addition, this disease can be renewed in ten cases out of a hundred. Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve (pictured) will be discussed later. Next, we will find out what causes influence the appearance of this disease.
Causes of disease
To date, scientists have not yet established the true causes of this disease, but there are several generally accepted theories:
- The hypothermia factor. When a person is in the cold for a long time, spasms of muscles and blood vessels occur. Since the face, as a rule, is not covered by clothes, it suffers the most. An ordinary draft can also provoke neuritis.
- The manifestation of herpes. This virus lives in the body of many people. But against the background of a decrease in immunity, inflammation and swelling of the nerve is possible. In addition, the viral etiology of facial neuritis is observed against the background of mumps, adenovirus and poliomyelitis.
- The impact of alcohol. Damage to the nervous system by ethyl alcohol can cause similar effects.
- Development of hypertension. A prolonged increase in pressure can provoke intracranial hypertension. This factor is the reasonstroke. When a cerebral hemorrhage occurs at a point that is close to the facial nerve, it is likely to suffer.
- The appearance of a brain tumor. This is a rare cause of this condition, but should not be ruled out.
- Presence of pregnancy. At the beginning of pregnancy, due to a significant hormonal change, the entire nervous system can suffer.
- Impact of dental procedures. An unsuccessful procedure at the dentist can be complicated by infection and mechanical trauma, which, in the end, will provoke inflammation of this nerve.
- Open type brain injury. Strong blows to the head can cause a rupture of the nerve fiber. There will be swelling in the affected area. And after that, the facial nerve will be affected by the inflammatory process.
- The impact of severe stress. Depressive and stressful circumstances noticeably weaken the human immune system along with its nervous system.
- Having diabetes. Disturbed metabolism can be the cause of inflammation in the facial nerve.
- The impact of multiple sclerosis. Destroyed myelin sheaths form plaques, which can subsequently provoke neuritis of the facial nerve.
- The presence of atherosclerosis. Plaque-blocked capillaries are unable to supply enough blood to the nerves, causing their cells to die.
Now let's talk about the symptoms inherent in the appearance of this pathology. Symptoms and treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve (photo presented) are interconnected.
Symptoms of disease
Symptomatology of neuritis of the facial nerve is always clearly visible. At the same time, the asymmetry of the face is obvious, which is difficult to confuse or not notice at all. Usually not only the forehead and cheeks suffer, but also the palpebral fissures, which expand with neuritis. The nasolabial fold, in turn, descends, and as for the lower lip, it looks saggy.
In addition, the effect of a tooth grin can be observed, and during laughter, the mouth can be pulled to the he althy side. In the event that a person closes his eyes, he will not be able to close his eyelids completely. The patient may lose the ability to whistle and kiss. During meals, food particles very often get stuck in the teeth. The tongue also suffers, which affects the sense of taste.
Complications of the disease
The biggest danger is facial contracture. This is when the affected half of the face is very much reduced, which is the result of untimely and illiterate treatment. There may be other complications, such as:
- Facial blepharospasm, which is an involuntary twitching of facial muscles that occurs due to nerve compression.
- Development of muscle atrophy. In the event that after a year from the onset of the disease there is no noticeable improvement, then muscle atrophy may occur, which will be an irreversible process. To avoid this, you should constantly massage your face with baby cream.
- Development of facial synkinesis. This condition may resemble a short circuit, in which irritation in one area provokesimpulses elsewhere. For example, when chewing, tears can flow from the affected side, and in case of closing the eyes, the corner of the mouth rises.
- Development of conjunctivitis. Inflammation of the cornea can occur due to insufficient closure of the eyelids.
Diagnostics
Since the manifestation of neuritis of the facial nerve is quite bright, there are no difficulties in determining the diagnosis. However, it is very important to establish the cause of the disease. For this, magnetic resonance imaging is prescribed to exclude the possible presence of a tumor in the brain.
For diagnostic purposes, electroneuromyography is used, showing the foci of pathological processes along with the nature and stage of damage to the facial nerve.
Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve
Therapy for neuritis should begin immediately, as soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear. Corticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, are considered the most effective in this regard. This drug is taken at the dosage recommended by the doctor. And the course of treatment is ten days. This remedy reduces swelling of the nerve, reducing the degree of its infringement.
Shown and symptomatic treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve, aimed at moisturizing the eyeball. To do this, use drops like artificial tears. In addition, it is recommended to massage the face, collar area and back of the head. First, a light massage is done, and then its intensity is gradually increased.
From the third week of therapy, variousphysiotherapy procedures. Doctors may prescribe sedative medications to reduce anxiety by relieving muscle spasm and other symptoms of neuritis.
Complete recovery, as a rule, occurs no earlier than three weeks from the start of a full-fledged treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve. Almost always it is possible to achieve a full recovery and restore the normal functioning of the muscles of the face. But when the disease lasts longer than three months, it is much more difficult to establish normal facial expressions. This disease can recur, and subsequent cases of its manifestation are much more difficult to treat.
Treatment Methods
Neurologists prescribe the following procedures to treat this disease:
- Performing magnetic therapy to eliminate swelling of the nerve.
- Performing phonophoresis.
- Implementation of carboxypuncture, that is, activation of blood circulation.
- Conducting electrophoresis. This procedure has an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Performing laser therapy (infrared radiation).
In addition, they may prescribe surgical treatment. It is justified if conservative therapy does not work within ten months. Carry out autotransplantation of the facial nerve. In this case, the material for transplantation is taken from the lower extremities. In the affected area of the face, two new nerve branches are attached to the muscles. Thus, the facial nerve is lengthened, which can provide a symmetrical movement of facial expressions.
Is medical treatment for facial neuritis effective?
Carrying out medicationtreatment
When it is possible to find the main cause of neuritis, treatment begins with the treatment of the underlying disease. With a cold, drugs are prescribed, first of all, to strengthen blood vessels, and, in addition, anti-inflammatory drugs. Against the background of primary bacterial infections, antibiotics are prescribed. And directly against viruses, funds in the form of Gamma globulin, Interferon and Acyclovir are fighting. The effectiveness of antiviral drugs in the treatment of facial neuritis is questioned.
As part of the therapy, corticosteroids in the form of "Prednisolone" and "Dexamethasone" can be prescribed, which reduce swelling with pain. Various multivitamins are mandatory, along with drugs that improve microcirculation.
Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve at home is highly effective.
Massage and exercise therapy
The massage technique is quite simple. It must be done at least twice a day. Stretching movements need to massage he althy tissue in the direction of diseased muscles. The paralyzed tissue should rise from the chin to the forehead.
You should also massage the eyelids. During the massage, the eyelids are pressed with fingers and circular movements are made. Massages for neuritis of the facial nerve prevent muscle atrophy and improve blood supply to nerve cells. And thanks to them, in general, it is possible to recover faster from the disease.
No less effective for neuritis and exercise therapy. It is done twice a day for 15 minutes. Main pointexercise is to ensure the mobility of the muscles. To do this, a person closes his eyes and raises his eyelids, frowns his eyebrows and puffs out the wings of his nose, and then smiles, after which he closes his lips, and so on. During the exercises, you need to ensure that your breathing is even.
Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve with folk remedies
In addition to the traditional treatment of neuritis, advice from traditional medicine is often used:
- Preparing a tincture of calendula, motherwort and hawthorn. All ingredients are mixed. Add half a bottle of Corvalol, as well as three tablespoons of honey. The mixture is drunk on a spoon at night. The course of therapy is two months, and then you need to take a break, after which you can repeat this tincture. What else does folk treatment of facial neuritis involve?
- Brew rose petals in a teapot and take the remedy instead of regular tea. This medicine is very effective in neurasthenia, and besides, it has a calming effect on the body. The course of treatment is three weeks.
- Goat milk also helps with this disease. Mummy and a tablespoon of honey are added to hot milk. The duration of treatment is twenty-one days, then a break of 14 days is required. Then the course should be repeated.
Consider the treatment of facial neuritis in children.
Features of the disease in children
In children, such a disease as neuritis of the facial nerve is observed no less often than in adults, butMostly the disease is caused by problems with the ears. Hypothermia along with inflammation of the middle ear are the most common cause of neuritis in a child. The disease is characterized by an acute course, but the prognosis of therapy is very favorable. Already after three weeks of competent treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve, as a rule, a person recovers.
Prophylaxis
To avoid recurrence of neuritis of the facial nerve, which is much more difficult to treat the second time, you should follow a few rules:
- Avoid all kinds of hypothermia, and, in addition, stress.
- Timely and properly treat any viral diseases.
- Regularly travel to sanatoriums and resorts to maintain he alth.
- Proper nutrition.
- Implementation of seasonal vitamin intake.
- Hardening.
- Performing self-massage.
The following are reviews of the treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve.
Patient testimonials
About the treatment of this disease, people say that it takes quite a long time to fight it. As a rule, this is at least one month. In the comments, people note that when they had this disease, they had to be in the hospital.
Reviews report treatments such as daily electrophoresis, vitamin injections, neck massages, and the use of a special face bandage. Also, patients say that during the treatment they were required to perform various exercises such as mimic antics, inflating balloons andthe like. As a result, all this helped to restore symmetry to the face. No relapses of the disease are reported in the reviews.
We looked at the symptoms and treatment of facial neuritis.
