Page 7 - Bell's palsy

nerve may have already gone through some form of

trauma and may be in a state of shock. Electric

current that is too strong (i.e. turning it up very

high or worse yet as high as you can take) is simply

another form of trauma that the nerve must now

undergo and may serve only to keep it in a state of

shock. The principle here is to gently coax the

nerve back into a state of function. Depending on

the level of trauma the facial nerve has undergone,

as well as how long it has gone without treatment,

it may take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to recover

function. If after 4- 6 weeks of treatment

improvement is not seen, the probability of the

Bell's palsy resolving is low.

It cannot be over emphasized that Bell's palsy

should be treated as soon as possible. If treatment

begins a few days to a few weeks after it begins,

there is a high probability it can be resolved. If

treatment begins a month to two after it initiates,

the probability of it resolving becomes much less.

If you wait for 3- 6 months to begin treatment,

there is a very low probability that the condition

will resolve and any improvement seen is likely to

be minimal.