Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of massage and muscle reeducation training with conventional treatment in patients with facial paralysis. Methods: Twenty-five patients with facial nerve paralysis were randomly allocat...
Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of massage and muscle reeducation training with conventional treatment in patients with facial paralysis. Methods: Twenty-five patients with facial nerve paralysis were randomly allocated to 3 groups: massage, muscle reeducation training, and control groups. Therapeutic intervention for the massage (n=8) and muscle reeducation training (n=8) groups consisted of conventional therapy such as application of hot pack and electrical stimulation plus massage therapy and muscle reeducation training, respectively. The control group (n=9) received only conventional therapy. Therapeutic intervention for each group was performed 6 times per week for 4 weeks. The patients were assessed by using the House-Brackmann Grading System (H-B grade) and Yanagihara Unweighted Grading System (Y grade) once every week. Results: The H-B and Y grades improved significantly in all 3 groups after a 4-week intervention (p<.01). At 3 and 4 weeks, the H-B and Y grades of the massage group improved significantly when compared with those of the control group (p<.01). Muscle reeducation training group showed significant improvements in the scores of the two grades with time when compared with the massage and control groups (p<.01). The rate of change in the H-B grade was significantly different between the control and muscle reeducation training groups (p<.01), and that of change in the Y grade was significantly different between the control and muscle reeducation training groups (p<.01) and between the control and massage groups (p<.01). Conclusion: These findings suggest that massage and muscle reeducation training are more effective in improving the condition of patients with facial nerve paralysis than conventional therapy. In particular, the results of this study indicate that muscle reeducation training can be recommended by clinicians since it provides more benefits.