How long bells palsy recovery

Karl Bells Physiolog. Untersuchungen d. Berlin; The value of prognostic clinical data in Bell's palsy. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Bell's Palsy Overview and More. Muscle Weakness: Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment. The Anatomy of the Facial Nerve. Anatomy of the Greater Petrosal Nerve.

Mays says. Most people will not need treatment beyond medication. Some people use additional treatments to help their recovery, but Dr. They include:. Rarely, the facial nerve loses its way as it heals and grows back. This can lead to unintentional movements of facial muscles, like the eye blinking when someone smiles. Show references Bope ET, et al. Acute facial paralysis.

In: Conn's Current Therapy Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed Feb. Bell palsy. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Bell's palsy fact sheet.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Accessed Jan. Ronthal M. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves, identified by Roman numerals. The facial nerve also carries nerve impulses to the tear glands, the saliva glands, and the muscles of a small bone in the middle of the ear. The facial nerve also transmits taste sensations from the tongue.

Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis, although its exact cause is unknown. Generally, Bell's palsy affects only one side of the face; however, in rare cases, it can affect both sides. Symptoms appear suddenly over a 48 - hour period and generally start to improve with or without treatment after a few weeks, with recovery of some or all facial function within six months. In some cases, residual muscle weakness lasts longer or may be permanent.

Because the facial nerve has so many functions and is so complex, damage to the nerve or a disruption in its function can lead to many problems. Symptoms of Bell's palsy can vary from person to person and range in severity from mild weakness to total paralysis. The most common symptom is sudden weakness of one side of the face.

Other symptoms may include drooping of the mouth, drooling, inability to close eye causing dryness of the eye , and excessive tearing in one eye. Individuals may also have facial pain or abnormal sensation, altered taste, and intolerance to loud noise. Most often these symptoms lead to significant facial distortion.

The cause of Bell's palsy is unknown. Most scientists believe that reactivation of an existing dormant viral infection may cause the disorder. Impaired immunity from stress, sleep deprivation, physical trauma, minor illness or autoimmune syndromes are suggested as the most likely triggers.