Digitopuncture as rehabilitation alternative in patients with facial paralysis

Introduction: One of the most recurrent sequels in the neurological branch is the facial paralysis which not only affects the motor area, but also the psychological one, as the face is the person's representative image. Objective: To evaluate the influence of digitopuncture as therapeutic alternative in patients with facial paralysis, by using the photographic technique for measuring angles according to the proposed evaluation indicators. Methods: A panel experimental and longitudinal study was made, with a pretest and a posttest, in the Physiotherapy Service of Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay Hospital Central Military Clinical-surgical, in Marianao municipality, Havana, from May to July, 2016, for which two groups were formed: a control group, in which conventional treatment was applied (massage, exercises of the pantomime and physical agents), and an experiment group which received digitopuncture besides massage. Results: In the evaluation of both groups, it was obtained that in the control group the best results were in the central axis of the mouth, followed by the muscle contraction, while the whole experimental group showed remarkable changes in all the indicators, with prevalence of the muscle contraction. When comparing the results of both groups in the pretest and posttest, the incidence and effectiveness of the digitopuncture was evidenced in the experimental group. Conclusions: Digitopuncture, as part of the rehabilitation in patients affected due to facial paralysis, influenced in a better recovery and decreased the time of treatment considerably, which had a higher incidence in the female group.