Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series Part 1 – Introduction
Before reading this post please read the following in order:
- Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series – Part 1 – Introduction
- Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series – Part 2 – The Warm Up
- Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series – Part 3 – The Mental Aspect
- Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series – Part 4 – The Physical Aspect
- Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series – Part 5 – The Exercises
Bell’s Palsy Facial Exercise Series Part 1 – Introduction
Can you remember what you used to look like? Really?
As upsetting as this sounds, when you have Bell’s Palsy for a number of months it is quite difficult to really remember what you used to look like at your best. As I have shown in “My Progress” I thought my healing was complete on my left side only to find astonishing improvements weeks, months and even years later.
It is harder to follow your improvement with bilateral Bell’s Palsy because for some part of your recovery you have no benchmark against which to compare.
However, with unilateral Bell’s Palsy this can still be a challenge as your good side will have adapted to the loss of movement on the affected side and you will notice that some expressions that you practice do not look completely like you remember them.
Do not fret. These exercises are to help with your recovery and the return to your usual good looking face and full array of expression.
There are 7000 nerve fibre endings on the facial nerve and over 2000 actual facial expressions have been recorded. It really does make you appreciate the complexity of creation.
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” Psalm 139:14
You are not expected to visually memorise all 2000 expressions but it will be a very good start if you get to know how your face works so that you will notice and appreciate your improvement as it happens.
WARNING: This can all be a bit upsetting, especially when looking in a mirror. Persevere. Some days you will be positive about your progress and the mirror will be your friendly proof. Other days you will want to throw it across the room and burst into tears. Persevere. I promise you this whole experience will make you a much stronger person smiling from the inside out. Believe.
The exercises should be able to be done to a greater and greater extent the more you recover, so try not be disappointed or upset at the beginning (as I guarantee you will), as they will get better.
As the old saying goes (and this applies to most of the expressions that you will try to recreate here) “The only way is up”.
Note 1: It is important to say here that you should not start exercising your facial muscles before they are ready to be exercised. It would be impossible in the first stages anyway, but let them rest for the first few weeks. They are healing, have patience and give them some time.
Limit attention to your muscles to gentle moist heat, applied perhaps with a soft flannel or heated rice bag (see later) or to some very light massaging. These can help both with facial swelling and any pains that you may be experiencing.
Note 1: The majority people with Bell’s palsy will heal to a complete recovery without any of these exercises. However, as time goes on and you have not yet had a complete recovery, they can then become helpful in reminding your brain, nerves and muscles to perform the actions that you require of them.
Note 2: Patience. As the entire recovery process and in fact, this entire Bell’s Palsy experience, will teach you, patience is a virtue that few of us have, but all of us can try to learn. These may help but they will not provide an overnight transformation.
Note 3: These facial exercises are not meant to replace the expertise of a facial neuromuscular expert. If, after a long time with Bell’s Palsy, it is decided that you are experiencing a long plateau and seem not to be recovering any more, then that is when proper and professional facial retraining would further help guide you to recovery.
Please Buy The Book
To find out about the Bell’s Palsy Guide Book “All Bells and No whistle” and what it contains Just CLICK HERE.
“All Bells and No whistle” is the definitive helper. Over 200 pages of encouragement, explaining everything about living with and recovering from Bell’s Palsy, written by someone who knows what that actually means.
