Facial nerve palsy factsheet
Introduction
Facial nerve palsy is when the facial nerve doesn’t work properly. This makes it hard to move muscles that control facial expressions like:
- smiling
- blinking
- speaking.
Facial nerve palsy usually affects one side of the face, making it difficult to express emotions or communicate. This can have a big impact on your child’s quality of life.
It can be caused by:
- congenital abnormalities or birth defects
- injury
- infection.
Signs and symptoms
The main symptom of facial nerve palsy is disordered movement of the muscles that control facial expressions. This can include movements like:
- smiling
- squinting
- blinking
- closing the eyelid.
Other common symptoms include:
- loss of feeling in the face
- teary eyes
- drooling
- pain around the jaw or pain in or behind the ear on the affected side
- increased sensitivity to sound on the affected side
- headache
- loss of taste.
Diagnosis
Your child’s doctor will diagnose facial nerve palsy by checking their face and asking them to move their facial muscles. This might include:
- closing their eyes
- lifting their eyebrows
- smiling
- frowning.
Tests like CT or MRI scans can check if any other conditions are causing the symptoms and see how much nerve damage there is.
Treatment
Treatment will be based on your child’s individual health and may involve surgery to repair the nerve.
Surgery can include:
- nerve grafts: a healthy nerve is taken from another part of the body to help the damaged facial nerve work again.
- muscle transfers: muscles, usually from the inner thigh, are moved to the face and powered by the healthy nerve.
Management
Supporting your child’s recovery and well-being
Treatment aims to help restore the shape of your child’s face. Rehabilitation after surgery involves exercises and therapy to help the muscles get stronger and work together.
Emotional support and counselling are also important to help your child cope with the treatment and recovery process.
