Treatment of facial neuritis

Facial neuritis is a relatively common disease. It often causes facial and eye deviation, sometimes involuntary drooling, and in severe cases it can cause difficulty swallowing. Facial neuritis is also called facial paralysis. When this happens, it must be treated in time. There are many methods of treatment, the most common of which are drug therapy. In addition, physical therapy and traditional Chinese medicine treatment are also relatively common. Let us learn about the treatment of facial neuritis.

Treatment of facial neuritis

1. Drug treatment: ① Hormones can reduce nerve edema and prevent degeneration. Because Waller degeneration of nerves is usually completed within 2 weeks, hormones must be used early; ② B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, can promote the regeneration of peripheral nerves; ③ Microcirculation improvers, such as dimethoate, low molecular weight dextran, etc.

2. Physical therapy: In the early stage, it can improve blood circulation, control the development of inflammation, and eliminate local nerve edema; in the later stage, it can improve nerve nutrition, increase nerve excitability, promote nerve function recovery, and prevent muscle atrophy.

3. Treatment with traditional Chinese medicine: Traditional Chinese medicine has many ancient and proven prescriptions for the treatment of facial paralysis, such as Qianzheng Powder, Bawei Qunfeng Decoction, Beier Powder, Centipede Zhusha Powder, etc.

4. Acupuncture treatment: It is one of the main methods of TCM to treat facial paralysis, but the choice of timing for acupuncture is still controversial. The current general view is that in the early stage, the prescription is mainly based on distant acupoints along the meridians, without direct stimulation or light stimulation of the affected area of ​​the face.

5. Self-training: such as hot compress with wet towel, facial expression and chewing exercises, etc.

Clinical manifestations

: Given any age, males > females.

1. Acute onset, reaching peak within a few hours or 1-2 days, with pain in the mandibular angle or behind the ear at the beginning of the disease.

2. The main symptom is paralysis of the facial expression muscles on one side. The forehead wrinkles disappear; the palpebral fissure cannot close or closes incompletely. When trying to close the eye, the eyeball on the paralyzed side rotates upward and outward, revealing the white sclera, which is called Bell's sign; the nasal groove on the affected side becomes shallower, the corner of the mouth droops, and the corner of the mouth tilts toward the healthy side when the teeth are exposed; due to paralysis of the orbicularis oris muscle, air leaks when inflating or whistling; due to paralysis of the buccinator muscle, food is easily retained between the teeth and cheek on the affected side.

3. When the lesion is above the point where the chorda tympani joins the facial nerve, there may be loss of taste on the same side.