Improved Iatrogenic Facial Nerve Paralysis Based on House-Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading System by Using Acupuncture Therapy: A Case Report

Combination of Manual Acupuncture, Penetrating Needling, and Electroacupuncture to Treat Bell's Palsy

Background

Bell's palsy is an acute idiopathic paralysis of lower motor neurons on only 1 side of the face without any identifiable etiology. The condition affects a patient's physical, social, and psychologic health. It is important for the patient to recover quickly and minimize the risk of long-term sequelae. Therefore, researchers recommend a combination of several therapeutic modalities to shorten the disease's course and improve curative effects.

Case

A 34-year-old woman had with right facial weakness. She was diagnosed with House-Brackmann grade III Bell's palsy and received medical therapy. She was also given manual acupuncture at GB-20, BL-2, ST-36, LI-4, TE-5 bilateral, and GV-20. Penetrating needling was given at GB-14 toward Ex-HN-3, ST-7 toward SI-18, SI-18 toward LI-20, ST-6 toward ST-4, and ST-5 toward ST-4 on the affected area, with a 30-minute needle retention. Electroacupuncture (EA) was delivered at ST-7-SI-18, ST-6-ST-5, GB-14-Ex-HN-5, and ST-4-CV-24, with a dense-disperse wave, at a frequency of 10/50 Hz for 20 minutes. She had treatment sessions twice per week, for a total of12 sessions.

Results

From her 7th to 12th visit, this patient had reached House-Brackmann grade I. No adverse effects occurred.

Conclusions

In this patient, a combination of acupuncture penetrating needling technique and EA played a role to shorten her recovery time and minimize the risk of sequelae of Bell's palsy. The treatment combination used in this case report can be considered in other clinical cases.