Facial paralysis is when there is a loss of voluntary movement of the face on one or both sides. The following are the most common causes of facial paralysis.

Bell s palsy, the most common cause of facial paralysis
Stroke is another major cause of facial paralysis, could be combined with right side arm/leg paralysis
Tumours, affecting the facial region can exert pressure on the nerves and lead to paralysis
Infections such as herpes zoster infections cause paralysis
Symptoms:

Difficulty in speech, eating and drinking
Closing eyelids, movement, and expressions become difficult
Loss of sensation, which may be temporary or permanent
Ayurveda believes in not just correcting the paralysis but improving overall health so that there is no recurrence and other areas are also prevented from being affected. According to it, increased vata causes paralysis and so treatment includes correction of it plus prevention of vata accumulation through diet and lifestyle changes.

Dietary and lifestyle changes:

Avoid cold and sour foods like curd, buttermilk, ice creams, cold foods like cucumber, banana, watermelons, etc.
Avoid fermented foods as they aggravate Vata
Reduce or avoid pulses like dal as they can worsen gas accumulation
Substitute rice with wheat
Substitute cow s milk with buffalo milk
Avoid smoking and alcohol completely
Diet must be easily digestible and simple with lot of green leafy vegetables
Avoid foods which can cause constipation
Ayurvedic remedies:

Beejband or country mallow: This has nerve stimulating properties and so useful in paralysis of any sort
Kali Mirch or black pepper: Used as a water gargle, it is beneficial in correcting paralysis
Lavanga or cloves: People with Bell s palsy were given water to which some drops of clove oil were added, and they showed remarkable benefits.
Mulethi or licorice: This is proven to be effective in stopping the progression of paralysis. People with Bell s palsy, in whom there was involuntary tearing, had a stoppage of the symptom.
Ashwagandha capsules: They treat paralysis and also reduce anxiety and stress and depression. It helps by calming and rejuvenating the entire nervous system. It also helps control muscle and joint pains and reduces stiffness. It also helps control insomnia and allows for improved blood pressure.
Curcumin: This is very beneficial in Bell's palsy patients. With its rich antioxidant content, it reduces free radical release and helps control inflammation and reduces oxidative stress.
Nirgundi oil: It also cures the imbalance between Vata and Kapha in the body. Massaging with this oil heals injured facial muscles and nerves and improves paralysis. It also eliminates toxins and prevents greying of hair. Its anti-inflammatory properties provide relief from inflammation and pain.
Pranayam, meditation is sure useful in this condition. Do start asanas, slowly begin with surynamaskar. Along with this, one can take Shastrokta medicine, that are-- 1. Ekangvir Ras vati 1 or 2 bd + Maharasnadi kashay ghan vati 2+2 during the day.

Paralyses - Can Ayurveda Treat It?

Facial paralysis can happen due to many factors. Sometimes inflammation develops around the facial nerve as it passes through the skull from the brain. This presses on the nerve and makes it stop functioning. As the nerve stops functioning, so does the muscle it controls.


This is what happens in Bell s palsy, the most common cause of facial paralysis.


Bell s palsy can happen to anyone and its cause is, hold your breath, a viral infection. Herpes zoster, Varicella zoster and HIV viruses can cause Bell s palsy.


Bell's palsy is a common cause of a facial paralysis but there are many others too that affect or damage facial nerve. These include head injury, sarcoidosis, lyme disease, growths in the ear, tumours in the parotid gland, brain tumours and stroke.


The weakness of the face usually one-sided is a symptom of Bell s palsy. The face may droop to one side, chewing food is also tough, drooling, dry eyes and difficulty wrinkling forehead and speech are other symptoms of Bell s palsy, the most common reason for facial paralysis.


Treatment:
The type of therapy you receive for facial paralysis will depend on its cause. It will also develop on how long you ve suffered from facial paralysis and the extent of damage to the facial nerve.


Your physiotherapist can help and so can speech and language therapists to deal with the issue.


In physiotherapy, a treatment called 'facial retraining' with facial exercises helps with facial palsy. It is important that you seek help from a therapist who specialises in facial rehabilitation only.


This is what you can expect from facial rehabilitation therapy-
Exercises for eye care
Exercises for dry mouth management
Exercises to make drinking and eating easier
Speech therapy
Your physiotherapist will educate you on how the facial nerve works and how it recovers. This is important to make you recover. A home therapy programme plays an important role too. It includes massages to keep face muscles mobile and healthy, stretches to lengthen muscles, exercises to help re-learn balanced facial movements and relaxation of your facial nerve and muscles.


The physiotherapist will work on your facial movement to make muscles fit. The basic idea is to slowly rewire the brain-to-nerve-to-muscle pathway. The physiotherapist s first step is to retrain you to do correct movements voluntarily, while mentally focusing on the movement.


Physiotherapy may take months but keep at it to recover completely, especially the home exercises.


Injections of botulinum toxin or Botox also help especially if you suffer from spasms in facial muscles. Surgery is also an option for chronic cases.


Remember that exercises should be done gently as well as daily to reap benefits. Always do these exercises with the help of a therapist only. Doing exercises by yourself can be counter- productive.


Facial Paralysis - How Can Physiotherapy Help You Get Better?

What is paralysis?
Paralysis is a loss of muscle power and function of any part of the body. It is seen in the form of weakness of body parts, loss of sensation, and loss of movement of that part.

What is physiotherapy and why it is used?
Physiotherapy includes massage, therapeutic physical activities, scientific procedures, and education. Physiotherapy should be started as soon as possible, and it needs to be regularly followed, on a daily basis to see its best results. If it is not done under the proper guidance, it may worsen the condition of the patients. It is helpful in the following ways:

Helps to improve blood circulation and relax muscles
Slows down the progress of paralysis
Improves muscle tone
Maintains the respiratory function
Prevents pressure sores and contracture in the bedridden patients
Helps to build up strength in the affected muscles which helps to prevent the limbs from becoming deformed
Helps in building up the motivation and morale of the patient
Helps improve balance and coordination of the muscles
What therapies are included in it?
It includes the following therapies:

Aerobic exercises: It encourages a rapid exchange of oxygen to muscle tissues which increases sensory and motor function.
Method of physical conditioning: It is conducted via active or passive ranges of motion which help improve the muscle strength and also help the patient to adapt or learn how to use the paralyzed limb.
Exercises: Exercises, such as hip rotation exercise and its variation, ankle rotation exercises, and toe rotation exercises are advised in lower limb paralysis.
Electric stimulation therapy: It helps restore the motor function in paralyzed patients where electrical stimulation is done via a low-frequency device.
Mobility aids: Mobility aids, such as a wheelchair, help to move from one place to another place.
Hydrotherapy pool: It helps assist patients to overcome conditions where movement is limited because of paralysis and where muscles are weakened.
Massage therapy: Massage therapy helps regain control of muscles and boost the range of motion by improving blood circulation to the affected part.
Hand muscle exercises: It includes exercise with the balls or any other toy to improve hand grip and muscle power.
Speech therapy: In patients with aphasia, speech therapy is given to improve the speech.
Parallel bars: It helps practice walking and balancing when there is impairment.
Physical training: In physical training, various exercises are taught to improve the muscle strength of the affected part.
Use of teaching transformers (wheelchairs, bed, car, or toilet): It helps improve safety and also promotes independence.

Role Of Physiotherapy In Patients With Paralysis!

Paralysis refers to the loss of muscle function in a part of the body. It happens due to an error in the messages passage between the brain and the muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial in nature and might occur on one or both sides of the body. Most of the times, paralysis occurs due to stroke or an injury but it might also take place as a result of diseases related to nerve, autoimmune diseases or even polio. Now let us briefly look into symptoms and causes of paralysis after which, we will take see how sound therapy can be effective in treating the problem. 

Symptoms of Paralysis 

The major symptom of paralysis is the inability of a person to move part of his or her body or even being not able to move at all. It can occur suddenly or over a period of time. The problem can even be stop-start in nature. The problem of Paralysis can affect any part of the body, which includes: 

1. One arm or leg

2. The hands 

3. The face 

4. One particular side of the body 

5. Both the legs 

6. Both arms and legs 

Tips on How Sound Therapy Can Help Treat This Problem

Paralysis usually occurs after one has suffered a stroke, which results in the brain getting badly damaged. The brain faces the challenge to develop new paths or re-routing of information to compensate for the damaged area. Under this situation, sound therapy can come to good effect. 

Sound Therapy is specifically designed to balance the frequencies of each paralysis symptom and bring it to a normal balanced stage, hence allowing the body to restore its healthy balance.

1. It is an extremely effective and easy way to help create new paths in the brain and thus re-form vital connections between more distant regions of the brain. 

2. The complex, multiple layers of harmonic and melodic information within the classical music helps to stimulate many parts of the brain. 

3. Thus sound helps to create a form as well as structure to assist with the different forms of sensory processing. 

4. Sound Therapy also helps in improving the integration of the cerebellum, which is an area near the stem of the brain and controls a number of automatic functions along with overall sensory and motor integration. 

5. The filtering which results in the sudden burst of high-frequency sound assists in stimulating increased firing of neurons. 

6. When neuron fires, it sends a message to other neurons in chemical as well as in electrical form. The process of firing off a message also creates new inter-neuronal connections known as dendrites. 

7. This goes to show that Sound Therapy can build new brain connections, thus increase the neural network.

Paralysis - How Sound therapy Can Help?

A stroke or paralysis can occur when the blood supply to that part of your brain is curtailed or drastically reduced. Due to this, the brain is deprived of the essential oxygen and the nutrients, and within a few minutes the brain cells can undergo severe damage and die. It is often treated as a medical emergency and can cause complications for life if left unattended.

Symptoms:
With regards to a stroke, a quick and an immediate treatment can be the difference between life and death. It is very much mandatory to note the symptoms of stroke and to impart the treatment accordingly. Some of them can include:

Trouble with speaking: Your speech pattern gets affected, and you may have trouble talking.
Paralysis: When the oxygen is cut off, a part of the body can become numb thus rendering it lifeless.
Headache: A severe headache may occur that can make the body go into spasm. Dizziness and unconsciousness can follow it.
Walking and mobility: You would be unable to walk on your own, or there can be a huge difference in your walk pattern. Most of the times, you might not be having any control over your legs.
Risk Factors
There are many risk factors associated with stroke and paralysis. The most common one is undoubtedly overweight. Physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse can contribute equally to the occurrence of stroke. Cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and old age may also be risk factors. Paralysis can be the biggest drawback of stroke where one part of your body can be lost to movements. You might also lose control of your face or arm, and this can affect your walking steps. This can be a life changing factor and more than medication sometimes physical therapy heals the person to an extent.

Physiotherapy for Paralysis:
You can feel helpless and frustrated, and this can lead to depression. There are many ways by which physiotherapy can help you. The therapies are made in such a way that you can try to lead a normal life without any hindrance, and this depends on the nature of the paralysis you are undergoing. In most of the cases, a person can get back at least 60% to 70% of his/her mobility back though not completely. Also, current medicines have advanced that there is a possibility to get back the movement in the paralyzed areas.

One of the major challenges you will face is to relax as the physical feeling of helplessness can hamper your thoughts in the long run. Stay relaxed and always remember that you are not alone. Take the help of a family member or a friend. Be relaxed all the time and make a determined effort with physiotherapy exercises. Avoid the lifestyle which you had before and embark on a healthier lifestyle and make sure you watch your diet at all times. Try to indulge in your favorite pass time and over a period start your daily chores without the help of an aid. You can undergo the physiotherapy exercises for life as they can be positive even after the condition subsidies.

Paralysis & Stroke - How Physiotherapy Can Help?

Paralysis can be concluded as the state when the muscles lose functioning in any part of the body. Any kind of disruption in our nerve system can be responsible enough to cause paralysis. Our central nervous system and peripheral nervous system communicate and control our senses of movement. But interruption in nerve impulses can cause weakness in muscles which leads to muscle paralysis.

Symptoms
A paralysed patient will encounter symptoms like:

Decreasing the motor power
Decreasing vasomotor control
Loss of sensation
Decreasing bowel and bladder control
When it comes to treating a paralysis patient, physiotherapy is proven to be the best remedy. Physiotherapy has thoroughly helped patients with paralysis in getting to feel confident and independent. Physiotherapy includes various exercises and techniques which are developed with time in order to provide a complete rehabilitation to the patients.

Types of paralysis:
There are mainly four types of paralysis

Monoplegia: when one limb gets paralysed
Hemiplegia: when arm and leg of a single side get paralysed
Paraplegia: when legs get paralysed
Quadriplegia: when both sides get paralysed
Treating paralysis with physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is advised to patients with any type of paralysis. It should be started soon in order to improve blood circulation in the muscles. It also helps in relaxing the stiff muscles. This treatment improves the overall health condition of the patient.
Physiotherapy is also responsible for reducing any kind of swelling which takes place due to external brain injury.
Physiotherapy is helpful in making the patient stable and independent.
It also helps in maintaining the blood pressure.
It helps to improve the respiratory system.
Physiotherapy maintains the affected muscles and nerves. It provides strength to the affected muscles and works to prevent the limbs from getting deformed.
One major symptom of paralysis is a loss of bladder and bowel function. Physiotherapy helps in managing the paralysed bowel and bladder.
Physiotherapy involves different techniques which can be learnt from a physiotherapist in order to transfer a paralysed patient.
Othorsis, canes, braces, splints are the equipment that is advised to the patient by a professional physiotherapist.
Physiotherapy helps in resolving problems such as anxiety, anger, depression, a denial which takes place after post-paralysis mental trauma.
A physiotherapist provides safeguarding tips to the patient and his or her family in order to avoid accidents.
Physiotherapy has a big role in creating motivation in the patient's mind.
These are the benefits of physiotherapy which help the paralyzed limbs getting stronger and better. But it is always advised to be done under a professional physiotherapist.
 In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!

Paralysis - Can Physiotherapy Help You?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Paralysis online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Paralysis - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES