The Efficacy of Electro-Acupuncture Added to Standard Therapy in the Management of Bell Palsy

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the comparative efficacy of electro-acupuncture when added to standard therapy in patients with Bell palsy in terms of clinical and neurophysiologic outcomes. Methods: A total of 88 patients with Bell palsy who received standard treatment (ST group; n = 40, mean ± standard deviation age: 39.2 ± 6.6 years, 60.0% were males) or standard treatment plus electro-acupuncture (ST-EA group; n = 48, mean ± standard deviation age: 39.5 ± 6.9 years, 58.3% were males) were included. Data on patient demographics, symptoms, comorbidities, and 3-month outcomes on treatment response assessed via House-Brackmann grading system and facial nerve recovery profile and electromyography were recorded. Results: Application of ST-EA versus ST was associated with a significantly higher rate of normal nerve function on 12th week electromyography (66.7% versus 25.0%, P = 0.020), higher frequency of patients with House-Brackmann grade ≤2 in the 3rd week (79.2% versus 45.0%, P = 0.029), 6th week (87.5% versus 45.0%, P = 0.004), and 12th week (95.8% versus 50.0%, P = 0.001), and those with facial nerve recovery profile scores ≥8 in the 6th week (83.3% versus 45.0%, P = 0.011) and 12th week (87.5% versus 50.0%, P = 0.009) of treatment. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings in patients with Bell palsy revealed superiority of electro-acupuncture added to standard therapy over standard therapy alone in terms of improvement of nerve dysfunction, decrease in paralysis severity, and better functional recovery. This seems to indicate the likelihood of electro-acupuncture to be a safe and promising adjunct in the achievement of more satisfactory clinical outcomes in the management of Bell palsy when used in combination with standard medical and physiotherapy.

Acupuncture treatment of a pregnant patient with Bell's palsy in the third trimester: Case report

“…Acupuncture, which has a long history of being part of traditional China therapies, is often used to treat facial palsy and can effectively improve facial nerve dysfunction and reduce the severity of paralysis ( 10 ). In the United States, acupuncture has been considered one of the main therapies for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) ( 29 ).…”

“…As a vital part of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is often used to treat Bell's palsy. While a number of studies ( 8 – 10 ) have certified the efficiency of acupuncture, one study showed that more research investigating the efficacy of acupuncture for Bell's palsy was necessary ( 11 ). There is also a lack of sufficient evidence to support acupuncture treatment for Bell's palsy in pregnant women.…”

Efficacy and safety of electric acupuncture in treatment of intractable facial paralysis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Acupuncture is one of the most unique treatments in the Chinese medicine system and has become a universal medicine advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and applied in many countries and regions. A findings in patients with facial paralysis revealed superiority of EA added to standard therapy over standard therapy alone in terms of improvement of nerve dysfunction, decrease in paralysis severity, and better functional recovery [ 24 ]. This indicate EA may be a safe and effective adjunct therapy for facial paralysis in achievement of more satisfactory clinical outcomes.…”

Effectiveness and safety of Korean medicine treatment based on the clinical practice guidelines in patients with acute peripheral facial palsy: A protocol for a multicenter, prospective, observational study

“…The exclusion criteria are the following: (Patients who are not able to understand this study and read and response the questionnaires were excluded.) (7) Patients who are determined by the researchers to be unable to participate in the study.…”