For the past three years, over 300 cases of Bell's palsy have been studied clinically and electromyographically. In this paper, the effect of 5c/s rectangular pulse wave current with amplitude modulation to the paretic facial nerves without degeneration is presented.
Method:
Fifty-one patients without degeneration of the facial nerve were selected by the intensity-time curve (i/t-curve) as well as the electrical reaction of degeneration. These cases were divided at random into the following three groups.
A-group: Patients in this group were indicated to carry out at home voluntarily (1) active exercise of facial muscles, (2) hot fomentation of the paralysed face, and (3) massage of the face by themselves.
B-group: Patients in this group visited the clinic as outpatients everyday, and were administered a non-effective electrotherapy (this was done by a false, non-stimulative apparatus which corresponded to a placebo) and massage by a masseur. The patients in B-group were also indicated to follow at home the same measure as A-group.
C-group: Patients in this group were indicated to visit the clinic as outpatients everyday, and were applied the low frequent (5c/s) rectangular pulse wave current with amplitude modulation and massage by a masseur. These patients were also indicated to do at home the same measure as A-group. Preliminarily, therapeutic responses of four groups treated by 5c/s, 50c/s, and 1, 000c/s of rectangular pulse wave current and galvanisation respectively were compared. The group treated by 5c/s current showed better, but not significant result. So, the auther selected 5c/s rectangular pulse wave current for this study.
Results:
All cases had been examined every week and when the patient showed no sign of facial palsy more, cure of the palsy was checked, and duration of the disease was calculated. The average value of duration in days were as follows:
A-group; 40.3±7.2 B-group; 36.5±5.4 C-group; 36.1±5.9
There was no statistically significant difference among them.
Conclusion:
In case of the patients without degeneration of the facial nerve, the abovementioned electrotherapy was not essential. And the voluntary exercise therapy as well as the massage was sufficient to cure them.
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