Rehabilitation of the 7th nerve

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7th nerve palsy can occur in all subjects and does not discriminate by sex or age. The main manifestations of 7th nerve palsy are usually signs such as hemifacial paralysis, mouth distortion. 7th nerve palsy is considered a non-life-threatening disease but can cause severe effects and leave sequelae if not treated properly. So, how to prevent disease as well as restore the 7th nerve?

1. Paralysis of the 7th nerve

7th nerve paralysis disease is often manifested by signs such as hemiplegia, mouth distortion, occurs when the 7th nerve is pinched and causes inflammation. Typical symptoms of 7th cranial nerve palsy include: The face is saggy, a bit stiffer than usual, the mouth may be distorted to one side and when drinking water will overflow; paralysis of the adductor muscle of the eyelids will cause the eyelids on the side of the face to be paralyzed to be unable to close properly; in some cases, sudden numbness and weakness may be felt on the paralyzed side; the patient can make daily movements such as difficulty smiling, talking smoke, pain in the ear and can even cause headaches; The patient loses the sense of taste, the sensation of tears, and at the same time, increases the amount of saliva in the mouth when eating or talking.

2. Causes of paralysis of the 7th nerve

7th nerve palsy can be caused by many causes. In which, the main causes are sudden cold infection, viral infection, or flu,... These factors directly affect the 7th nerve causing peripheral facial paralysis. However, in some other cases, the 7th nerve palsy can be caused by trauma to the facial region, skull, temporal region, mastoid bone, otitis media, ...

3. Diagnosis of the cause of the 7th nerve palsy

Secondary cause facial paralysis, cold facial paralysis, or Bell's palsy is performed considering the nerve supply is constricted, leading to ischemia, causing edema and nerve compression in the fallopian tube . Cases of patients with spontaneous paralysis often have an acute progression that is associated with drafts, cold weather, and occurs at night.
Secondary facial palsy was performed to consider polyneuropathy and polyneuritis, meningitis, 7th neuritis, mastoid otitis, knee shingles; or traumatic conditions such as fracture of the skull base causing broken bones, ear surgery complications; or tumors such as cerebellar pontine cysts, 7 nerve tumors, cancer metastases,...

4. Rehabilitation of the 7th nerve

4.1. Principles of Nerve Rehabilitation No.7 In order to restore the digital nerve, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of how to restore the 7th nerve including: Treating as soon as possible for cases of 7th nerve palsy to help patients quickly recover the 7th nerve; avoid the use of strong stimuli or do not try to cure facial paralysis during the acute phase of the disease because it may increase muscle tone causing spasticity; at the same time, combine treatment and protection of the open eye.

4.1. Principles of Nerve Rehabilitation No.7 In order to restore the digital nerve, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of how to restore the 7th nerve including: Treating as soon as possible for cases of 7th nerve palsy to help patients quickly recover the 7th nerve; avoid the use of strong stimuli or do not try to cure facial paralysis during the acute phase of the disease because it may increase muscle tone causing spasticity; At the same time, combine treatment and protection of the open eye.
4.2. 7th nerve rehabilitation methods and techniques Perform 7th nerve rehabilitation in the acute stage with a period of 3 to 7 days: Rehabilitation of nerve damage peripheral helps reduce the patient's anxiety so that the patient can feel secure and cooperate in effective treatment; at the same time, enhance circulation and prevent facial deformation of the patient. Besides, protect the eyes, prevent dry eyes and keratitis as well as ensure the patient's oral hygiene during the recovery process. Methods at this stage can be done by encouraging and explaining to the patient peace of mind the restorative techniques being performed. Using warm heat, gentle massage to avoid strong stimulation of the facial muscles and reduce the expression of laughter,... In addition, Y-adhesive tape can be used to fix the forehead, upper and lower lips to Eye lift to avoid sagging face. In addition, the patient needs to wear sunglasses, use physiological saline eye drops, and use an adhesive bandage to temporarily cover the eyes to help avoid dust and foreign objects that can damage the eyes. In addition, it is necessary to instruct the patient on how to clean their teeth to ensure hygiene.
Rehabilitation of 7th nerve palsy in subacute and chronic stages with an interval of 7 days after onset. The purpose of this process is to strengthen muscle tone, restore atrophied facial muscles, treat facial spasticity, and improve circulation in the facial area, and continue to restore communication function, keep teeth clean. patient's mouth. The method performed to restore the function of the 7th nerve at the later stage is to use heat, electric shock, electrolysis, and massage. In addition, we need to help the patient exercise the facial muscles through master exercises. Instruct the patient to practice by themselves through the mirror with exercises such as closing eyes, whistling, blowing fire, keeping mouth closed, smiling, wrinkled forehead, pronouncing words with lip sounds such as B, P, U, I, A,. .. In addition, the patient should be kept in a separate room or in a corner of the room with a screen, separated from other patients to prevent the patient from being embarrassed or less focused when performing these exercises. Besides, it is possible to use vasodilators for patients and stimulate nerve conduction along with the use of high doses of B vitamins.
For patients with 7th nerve palsy, it is necessary to periodically visit until the symptoms of the disease are gone to help evaluate treatment results. At the same time, it helps the doctor promptly adjust the treatment method if necessary and can detect the complications of facial paralysis early. Peripheral cold-induced facial paralysis is usually benign; however, the patient should be instructed to keep the face warm, protect the face, and avoid vigorous eye movements.
As for facial paralysis due to other causes such as tumors, blood vessels, inflammation, it is necessary to combine specific treatment methods, re-examination by specialty and combination treatment of the cause, the prognosis depends on the cause. causing facial paralysis.
Currently, laser is known as a specialized technique of physical therapy - rehabilitation, effective in the treatment of 7th nerve palsy. With features such as low power, high biological stimulation properties along with a combination of traditional acupuncture to act on the system of acupuncture points. This method is non-invasive, painless, non-infectious and is often chosen by many patients for treatment.

5. 7 nerve recovery time

Recovery time may depend on many factors, especially age, time of injury,... When having surgery to restore nerve, for elderly patients, there will be muscle and nerve laxity. economic degeneration over time,... will not be as good as those of young age. Some patients have corticoid disease, smoking too much, ... can cause neurodegenerative condition.
If a patient exercises hard, only about 2 to 3 months after surgery can recover. Nerve recovery across an junction takes about 45 days. Some younger patients have better recovery ability, the muscles can move again after 2 months of hard training.
For safe and effective treatment of VII nerve palsy, customers can contact the neurology department of Vinmec International General Hospital to be assigned specific treatment by doctors for specific treatment. each case.

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Reference sources: benhviendktinhquangninh.vn, benhvien115.com.vn, soyte.quangnam.gov.vn, benhvien108.vn