ANA Discussion Forum

Post-Treatment => Facial Issues => Topic started by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on February 10, 2008, 11:12:08 am

Title: Synkinesis?
Post by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on February 10, 2008, 11:12:08 am

Synkinesis?

Has anyone here on the forum ever experience synkinesis and actually had it go away?

4

Title: Re: Synkinesis?
Post by: ppearl214 on February 10, 2008, 11:15:36 am

Hey 4!  :-*

There have been many posts about it here... do a "search" here for "Synkinesis".  I saw 2 pgs on the search results... and also hoping someone will chime in here for a response.

Phyl

Title: Re: Synkinesis?
Post by: lori67 on February 10, 2008, 01:42:14 pm

Hi 4.

I'm experiencing it now and it hasn't gone away yet.  I'm working on it with my PT through biofeedback and some facial exercises I do at home to try to get the right muscles working.  My cheek muscle seems to be the one working overtime when it shouldn't be - cheek and upper lip move when I try to blink.  If that continues to get worse, we may Botox it to give the correct muscles a chance to kick in.  Mine isn't terrible at this point - and you probably wouldn't notice it if you weren't a PT or weren't really staring.  Unfortunately for me - a lot of my friends ARE PT's - so I know I can't hide it from them! 

If you are having synkinesis, it's best to start working on it right away, because once those nerves get re-wired, it's hard to change it.

Lori

Title: Re: Synkinesis?
Post by: matti on February 18, 2008, 08:00:46 pm

I have synkenisis and it started around the 6th month of my recovery. If worked on early enough with a facial retraining therapist it might help.  I wish my doctor would have recommened it to me 10 years ago. I know there are a couple of forum members who have been helped by it.  Hopefully Pembo will chime in.

When I blink the corner of my mouth and cheek is pulled up. My husband thinks it's a cute, flirtatious thing LOL    If I touch my cheek I can feel it in my forehead and ear. My eye floods when I chew and I seem to get more flush on that side as opposed to the other.

Lori is right, best to work on it asap because once it sets in it's hard to undo the re-wire.

Cheryl

Title: Re: Synkinesis?
Post by: LADavid on April 03, 2008, 05:59:29 pm

Lori and Cheryl

How is the synkinesis?  I think I may experiencing it.  Whenever I go out in the sun and try to squint, my cheek spasms up in a knot drawing the corner of my mouth into a grin.  And generally when I wake up it's like that.  I have to consiously relax my face so it it's not all tense and the grin goes away. 

What did you do for it?  Will it naturally correct once all the muscles are developed?

Thanks

David