Chiropractic Treatment for Bell’s Palsy
Are you struggling with treatment for Bell’s palsy? Dr. Butler can evaluate your situation and determine if chiropractic adjustments can help! Bell’s Palsy can be a worrisome and frustrating condition — not to mention uncomfortable — but that doesn’t mean it’s permanent. With Dr. Butler’s help, you can see positive changes in your Bell’s palsy without the use of prescription drugs or surgery. We want to help you! Please call us on (303) 741-2444.
Because Bell’s palsy is caused by injury or compression to nerves, chiropractic treatments can be of help. Adjustments can help lessen pressure on the nerve, helping people with the condition to see improvements. Mis-alignments that may cause the problem can be corrected, allowing sufferers of Bell’s palsy to gain some relieve and improvement in the use of their facial muscles.
Chiropractic treatments are one option for those looking at non-prescription treatments and show positive results: Dr. Chris Butler has worked with several Bell’s palsy patients and has seen successful improvement after just two adjustments.
What is Bell’s Palsy?
Bell’s palsy is a temporary paralysis of the face caused by damage to nerves that help with facial muscle movement. While physicians aren’t entirely sure of what exactly causes Bell’s palsy, a variety of treatments are known to help reverse paralysis. Recently, chiropractic treatment is just one way of helping those suffering from Bell’s palsy make a recovery.
Also called idiopathic facial paralysis, Bell’s palsy occurs when the 5th cranial nerve is injured, compressed or experiences trauma. This nerve travels through a canal in the skull, beneath the ear and to the muscles on both sides of the face. When the 5th cranial nerve is compressed or damaged, messages sent by the brain that cue facial movements are interrupted. Without these messages, facial muscles can be weakened or temporarily paralyzed.
Symptoms of Bell’s palsy vary by person and to the level of intensity, but often include facial twitching, weakness, paralysis on one side and drooping corners of the mouth or eyelids.
While Bell’s palsy can be a scary condition based on how fast it appears, most people diagnosed with the condition have recover quickly. On average, people with Bell’s palsy begin to see improvement within two weeks and normally functioning facial muscles within three to six months.
Physicians understand how Bell’s palsy occurs, it’s not so clear as to why someone may suddenly face partial and temporary facial paralysis. Nearly 40,000 Americans are diagnosed with Bell’s palsy each year, and the condition is most common among people ages 15 to 60.
Modern medicine and treatments can be used to aid recovery from Bell’s Palsy, including steroids to reduce inflammation and swelling, anti-viral medications and pain relievers. In extreme cases, doctors may recommend surgical procedures. But other traditional, alternative treatments can also offer some benefits. Physical therapy, facial massage and acupuncture are believed to improve nerve function and remedy Bell’s palsy over time.