Kansas City Chiropractor Presents:

Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy - A Case Study

Bell’s palsy is a condition that involves a paralysis or weakness of muscles on one side of the face. When looking at the face, one side droops and has no movement. Bell’s palsy occurs when there is damage to the facial nerve, the nerve that controls facial movement. The cause of Bell’s palsy is unknown, but it is thought to be due a viral infection.  Usually the condition gets better on its own, but that can take several months.

A 13 year-old patient presented to our office with symptoms of Bell’s palsy that had been present for two months. All other potential conditions had been ruled out at the hospital when her mother took her in for fear of a serious condition. There they diagnosed her with Bell’s palsy and gave her an antibiotic and a steroid. Her condition was showing no signs of improvement.

In addition to the facial drooping, she was having headaches twice a week that were interfering with her school work. She was having difficulty concentrating during class. Her mother decided they needed to try acupuncture to hopefully help her daughter recover from the Bell’s palsy faster.

After reviewing her case history, it was determined that she needed acupuncture two times a week for two weeks, after which we would reevaluate her.

An Acugraph exam was performed at every visit, where it was determined which acupuncture points were needed to balance her body. Additional points for Bell’s palsy were also treated at each visit.

After her visit, she said that she felt the symptoms of her Bell’s palsy decreasing, she had increased movement in her face, and she had had no headaches since her first visit. After her second visit, she had almost complete movement restored to her facial muscles and no headaches. After her third appointment, she had no facial weakness and hadn’t had a headache since she started receiving acupuncture. She also said that she was sleeping better at night and felt like she had a lot of energy throughout the day.

If you have questions about your particular symptoms, please give us a call, and we would be happy to see if we can help.