| Objective: To search for a best combined therapy for facial palsy caused by facial neuritis, which may maximally recover the function of facial muscles and shorten the time of recovery. Methods: Seventy patients in the control group were treated with routine therapy and conventional exercise of the paralytic facial muscles. In the observation group of 221 consecutive patients, routine therapy plus facial functional exercise with motion inhibition of the unaffected side were applied. Facial palsy was assessed using the House-Brackmann Scale before and on the fifth and tenth day of treatment, respectively. Some patients were followed up for three months. All data were analyzed statistically. Results: Facial nerve function grading at 5th and 10th day after treatment and 3rd month after discharge showed that the recovery of neurologic impairment was obviously correlated to the overall time course of facial functional exercise(QCMH=205.9903, P<0.001). The therapeutic effect of the observation group apparently surpassed that of the control goup (QCMH=16.083, P<0.001). On the 10th day of treatment, total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.014). The total effective rate of both groups was 100% three months after discharge. No complications related to facial exercise occurred. Conclusion: Facial functional exercise with motion inhibition of the unaffected side is more effective than conventional exercise. It shortens the recovery time of facial nerve function, and may push the facial recovery to a greater extent. |
