Article

The physical therapy (PT) associated with standard drug treatment (SDT) in Bell
palsy has never been investigated. Randomized controlled trials or
quasirandomized controlled trials have compared facial PT (except treatments such
as acupuncture and osteopathic) combined with SDT against a control group with
SDT alone. Participants included those older than 15 yrs with a clinical
diagnosis of Bell palsy, and the primary outcome measure was motor function
recovery by the House-Brackmann scale. The methodologic quality of each study was
also independently assessed by two reviewers using the PEDro scale. Four studies
met the inclusion criteria. Three trials indicate that PT in association with SDT
supports higher motor function recovery than SDT alone between 15 days and 1 yr
of follow-up. On the other hand, one trial showed that electrical stimulation
added to conventional PT with SDT did not influence treatment outcomes. The
present review suggests that the current practice of Bell palsy treatment by PT
associated with SDT seems to have a positive effect on grade and time recovery
compared with SDT alone. However, there is very little quality evidence from
randomized controlled trials, and such evidence is insufficient to decide whether
combined treatment is beneficial in the management of Bell palsy.

Langue : ANGLAIS