What should I do if I have facial muscle spasm

Although facial muscle spasm will not affect our life and health, the repeated twitching of facial muscles can be embarrassing and uncomfortable in public or in daily life. The treatment of this disease includes drug therapy, physical therapy, and botulinum toxin injection therapy.

(1) Drug treatment: such as diazepam, luminal, carbamazepine, and phenytoin sodium can alleviate symptoms in a small number of patients. Muscle relaxants such as chlorzoxazone also have some effect.

(2) Physical therapy: such as calcium ion infusion therapy, horizontal electrical stimulation, radiofrequency thermocoagulation therapy, etc.

(3) Ethanol injection therapy: For cases where the above-mentioned drugs or physical therapy are ineffective and the symptoms are severe, ethanol injection therapy may be considered. Injecting different concentrations of ethanol up to anhydrous ethanol into the nerve trunk can temporarily interrupt the conduction function of the facial nerve and relieve facial muscle spasm.

(4) Botulinum toxin type A injection therapy: Botulinum toxin type A is injected into the facial motor nerve endings to produce muscle relaxation paralysis, thereby relieving spasms. After the injection, the spasms were relieved rapidly in the short term, and no side effects were found in those who received repeated injections.

(5) Triple injection therapy: This is the treatment for hemifacial spasm that the author uses in practice. The main method is to inject hormones, diazepam, and other drugs into the stylomastoid foramen, the midpoint of the preauricular fold, and facial motor points according to the patient's specific situation, thereby effectively relieving hemifacial spasm. The advantages of this method are: simple and easy, painless treatment, patients are willing to accept, small local side effects, and no allergic reactions to repeated injections.