Chiropractic care of a patient with vertebral subluxation and BellĖs palsy*1

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Chiropractic care of a patient with vertebral subluxation and BellĖs palsy*1
Received 21 November 2001; revised 5 March 2002. Available online 14 May 2003.
Joel Alcantara DCa, b, Gregory Plaugher DC, , c, d and Darwin L. Van Wyngarden DCe
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
ScienceDirect

Copyright Š 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

a Research Director, International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, Media, Pa, USA b Research Associate, Gonstead Clinical Studies Society, Santa Cruz, Calif, USA c Director of Research, Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, Calif, USA d Gonstead Clinical Studies Society, Santa Cruz, Calif, USA e Private practice of chiropractic, Ripon, Calif, USA

Abstract
Objective
To describe the chiropractic care of a patient medically diagnosed with BellĖs palsy and discuss issues clinically relevant to this disorder, such as its epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, care, and prognosis.

Clinical features
A 49-year-old woman with a medical diagnosis of BellĖs palsy sought chiropractic care. Her symptoms included right facial paralysis, extreme phonophobia, pain in the right temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and neck pain. Signs of cervical vertebral and TMJ subluxations included edema, tenderness, asymmetry of motion and posture, and malalignment detected from plain film radiographs.

Intervention and outcome
The patient was cared for with full spine contact-specific, high-velocity, low-amplitude adjustments (Gonstead Technique) to sites of vertebral and occipital subluxations. The patientĖs left TMJ was also adjusted. The initial symptomatic response to care was positive, and the patient made continued improvements during the 6 months of care.

Conclusion
There are indications that patients suffering from BellĖs palsy may benefit from a holistic chiropractic approach that not only includes a focus of examination and care of the primary regional areas of complaint (eg, face, TMJ) but also potentially from significant vertebral subluxation concomitants.

Author Keywords: BellĖs Palsy; Temporomandibular Joint; Chiropractic

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