Bell's palsy Q&As
Published by Bupa's health information team, March 2009.
Answers to questions about Bell's palsy
This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email.
- Should children with Bell's palsy be given steroids?
- Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of recovering from Bell's palsy?
- Is it true that acupuncture can help people with Bell's palsy?
Should children with Bell's palsy be given steroids?
Research showing that steroids help people recover from Bell's palsy involved only adults with the condition. So it isn't possible to say with certainty that steroids will be helpful in children with Bell's palsy. At the moment there is no guidance to say whether children with Bell's palsy should be given steroids. It will be up to your doctor to decide whether your child should be treated with steroids.
Explanation
Bell's palsy can also affect children, although it's more common in adults. Facial paralysis in children is often caused by an infection, such as Lyme disease (borreliosis). If your child has facial paralysis, your doctor will want to make sure that he or she doesn't have an infection. Children with Bell's palsy usually recover better from the condition than adults.
At the moment there have been no trials in children showing that steroids definitely provide benefits. Therefore, it isn't possible to say with certainty that children should be treated with these medicines. Your doctor will probably assess your child's symptoms and situation and decide on an individual basis whether steroids should be prescribed.
Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your child's medicine.
Further information
- Bell's Palsy Association
Telephone
www.bellspalsy.org.uk
Sources
- Finsterer J. Management of peripheral facial nerve palsy. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2008; 265:743-752. www.springerlink.com
Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of recovering from Bell's palsy?
Taking a short course of prednisolone within three days of the first symptoms should increase your chances of a complete recovery by three months. There is also some evidence that physiotherapy can improve symptoms, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Explanation
Bell's palsy affects people in different ways and there is no way to predict how long you will have symptoms of the condition. If you start to see improvements within one week, you have a good chance of a full recovery within one or two weeks. If it takes longer before you start to see improvements in your symptoms, it may take longer before you're completely recovered. Around one in five people will always have some symptoms.
Recent research has shown that a short course of a steroid called prednisolone improves the chances that you will make a complete recovery. In the research, more people who took prednisolone had recovered completely after three months compared with those who didn't take prednisolone.
There have also been some findings that physiotherapy involving facial exercises can improve symptoms, but more research is needed before we can say this for certain.
Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
Further information
- Bell's Palsy Association
Telephone
www.bellspalsy.org.uk
Sources
- Sullivan FM, Swan IR, Donnan PT, et al. Early treatment with prednisolone or acyclovir in Bell's palsy. N Engl J Med 2007; 357:1598-1607. www.nejm.org
- Update on managing Bell's palsy. Drug Ther Bull 2008; 46:53-54. http://dtb.bmj.com
- Teixeira LJ, Soares BG, Vieira VP, et al. Physical therapy for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 3. Art. No: CD006283.pub2. www.cochrane.org
Is it true that acupuncture can help people with Bell's palsy?
Acupuncture is a complementary medicine that has been used for thousands of years in China. It involves inserting fine needles into specific points on the skin to bring about healing. Although there haven't been any reports that acupuncture causes harm, there isn't enough evidence to say whether acupuncture is helpful if you have Bell's palsy.
Explanation
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners believe that energy called Qi flows around the body in channels (meridians). Equal and opposite properties called yin and yang are thought to become unbalanced, causing illness.
Acupuncture involves inserting fine needles or applying pressure to specific acupuncture points to restore balance and bring about healing. It has been suggested that acupuncture could help people with Bell's palsy by promoting blood circulation and nerve healing.
Some clinical trials have found that acupuncture improves recovery from Bell's palsy, whereas others haven't found the same results. When all of the evidence was looked at together, researchers concluded that there wasn't enough information at the moment to say whether acupuncture provided benefits or not. None of the studies that were examined showed acupuncture to be harmful in people with Bell's palsy.
Ask advice from your GP if you're considering having acupuncture.
Further information
- British Medical Acupuncture Society
01606 786782
www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk - British Acupuncture Council
020 8735 0400
www.acupuncture.org.uk
Sources
- He L, Zhou MK, Zhou D, et al. Acupuncture for Bell's palsy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 4. Art. No: CD002914.pub3. www.cochrane.org
Related topics
This information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.
Publication date: March 2009
Bell's palsy factsheet
Visit the Bell's palsy health factsheet for more information.
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