Physios paint faces to support facial palsy patients

Facial palsy specialist physios Sarah Ferns, Angie Cameron, Catriona Neville, Vicky Dewhurst and Tamsin Gwynn

The physio team at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead wore the face paint for facial palsy awareness week at the start of March.

The annual event is run by charity Facial Palsy UK and aims to raise awareness of the condition, which causes weakness or paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face.

A specialist facial palsy service opened at the Queen Victoria Hospital in 2007 and was the first of its kind in the UK.

Catriona Neville, an advanced practitioner in facial palsy at the hospital, said: ‘Patients with facial palsy have many functional and psychosocial difficulties. But our extended scope therapy service allows us to provide facial therapy, where we combine speech therapy and physiotherapy, and therapy-led chemodenervation clinics, where Botox is used to help address asymmetric facial movement.

‘This innovative approach ensures that patients receive a complete package of care when they need it most.’

She added that physios who want information or advice about the management of facial palsy should visit Facial Therapy Specialists UK.