Facial Paresis

This specialist service is jointly run by Physiotherapy & Speech & Language Therapy with access to Plastic Surgery, Ophthalmology & Maxillofacial specialties for consultation. This outpatient clinic is held once a month.

What Can the Therapists Do To Help?

Facial Paresis is the loss of power in some or all of the muscles of the face. It ranges in severity; from slight to more severe. It mainly affects one side of the face but sometimes can affect both sides.

Facial paresis can occur as a result of several different conditions, for example; Bell’s palsy, Acoustic Neuroma or Stroke.

Specialist Assessment & Therapy is essential to enable recovery of your facial muscles and also to prevent complications caused by facial paresis.

Speech and Language Therapists and Physiotherapists can help you with the following:

Give you an exercise programme specific to your individual needs.
Advice on care of your eye.
Educate & support you to understand the nature of your facial paresis & the course of your recovery.
Show you how to use tape to enable better movement in the affected muscles, to improve alignment of the face and/or to enable eye protection.
Advise you on eating, drinking and communication.
Use heat treatment and massage & stretches to manage pain and tightness if needed.
Onward referral to specialist services (e.g. Plastic surgery, Maxillofacial surgery, Eye clinic) or community services as needed.

How Can You Access This Clinic?

Referral to the clinic is made via your primary consultant in CUH.

If you have not attended CUH your GP can refer you to Plastic Surgery or Neurology teams in the hospital & they can then refer onwards to the clinic.

COVID 19

Please note during COVID-19 we offer remote consultation to this clinic via telemedicine so you may not have to attend the hospital to access advice & treatment.

Helpful information and videos are available at www.facialpalsy.org.uk.

Your therapist will advise which of the videos are appropriate for you after your first appointment.