If you are feeling muscle tics or spasms on one side of your face, you may be suffering from hemifacial spasm. Your symptoms may come and go, or they may be rather constant, leading to difficulty concentrating on work and recreational activities.
If you have hemifacial spasm, you should see your doctor right away to get an accurate diagnosis and to start on treatment. There are many different treatments for hemifacial spasm. The treatments are designed to decrease your symptoms and allow you to return to your normal level of activity.
What is Hemifacial Spasm?
Hemifacial spasm is a condition that is caused by irritation of your 7th cranial nerve, called the facial nerve. This nerve starts in your brain stem and courses through your brain and to your face. Irritation or injury to the facial nerve can cause symptoms of hemifacial tics and spasms. Symptoms typically include:
- Muscular spasms and pain around your jaw or cheek.
- Facial tics.
- Eye spasms that may make keeping your eye open difficult.
You have a facial nerve on each side of your face, and most often only one nerve becomes irritated. Therefore, hemifacial spasm is typically felt only on one side of your face and jaw.
The causes of irritation to your facial nerve may include uncommon lesions like a stroke, brain tumor or multiple sclerosis. These conditions are rare, but they should be ruled out by your doctor if you have facial symptoms.
Most often, hemifacial spasm is caused by the compression of your facial nerve by arteries or veins that reside near it. When an artery rubs against your facial nerve, spasm in your face may result. Working closely with a neurosurgeon is an important thing to do to effectively treat your facial symptoms.
Medication for Hemifacial Spasm
When you are first diagnosed with hemifacial spasm, your doctor may prescribe different medications to calm your symptoms. Injections of Botox are typically prescribed, as this first line intervention often helps to settle your symptoms. You must discuss your symptoms and the effect of the medication with your doctor.
Unfortunately, Botox injections can lose effectiveness over time. As your body becomes accustomed to the medicine, you will require a higher dosage to achieve a reduction of your facial tics and symptoms. If you have tried medicine for facial pain or spasm and continue with symptoms, you may benefit from considering a surgical procedure for your condition.
Surgery for Hemifacial Spasm
The definitive treatment for hemifacial spasm is a surgery called microvascular decompression. Working with a trusted neurosurgeon can help you understand and feel comfortable about microvascular decompression. The goal of surgery is to take pressure off your facial nerve. This decompression helps to relieve your symptoms. Surgery for facial spasm carries various benefits and risks, so understanding microvascular decompression surgery is important to making the best choice for you.
Microvascular Decompression
One of the most effective surgical procedures for hemifacial spasm is microvascular decompression. During this surgery, your neurosurgeon makes a small incision behind your ear, and a tiny portion of your skull will be excised. Then, your facial nerve will be located was a special microscope, and a small Teflon pad will be inserted between the nerve and its neighboring artery. This helps to decompress your nerve to relieve your facial tics and spasms.
Microvascular decompression is open brain surgery, and you will be required to spend a couple of days in the hospital after surgery. Most patients realize a rapid decrease or elimination of their facial symptoms after microvascular decompression.
After the surgery, you will be able to slowly get back to your normal activity level over the course of a few weeks. Most patients are back to their regular activities within a month of microvascular decompression.
Find the Best Neurosurgeon for Hemifacial Spasm
One of the most important things you can do to effectively manage your facial spasm is to work with a trusted neurosurgeon. Finding a top rated surgeon can help you have the best possible surgical experience for your facial nerve condition.
Your doctor should spend time with you and explain to you all of the options available to treat your condition. Your doctor should offer you alternatives to treatment, and he or she should answer your questions and concerns about surgery. Your relationship with your neurosurgeon should be a therapeutic alliance – both of you working together to achieve the best outcome with your hemifacial spasm treatments.
Finding the best neurosurgeon for you can take a little work, but the extra time may be worth it. Some ways to find a top rated NJ neurosurgeon may include:
- Asking your family physician for a trusted referral.
- Asking family members and friends about their personal experiences.
- Searching the Internet for top-rated NJ neurosurgeons who treat facial nerve conditions.
Remember that finding the best care for your facial spasm may involve meeting with a few different neurosurgeons to find the best one for you.
Treating hemifacial spasm can be difficult, and there are many different options to manage your facial nerve condition. Understanding the different treatments and the importance of working with a trusted neurosurgeon can help make your treatment and experience a positive one.
