The Effectiveness Of Kinesiotaping Therapy And Dry Needling On Patients With Acute Bell's Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Bell's Palsy is an acute idiopathic facial paralysis that leads to substantial functional impairment and emotional distress. Although corticosteroids and antiviral drugs remain the standard treatment, their effectiveness remains debatable. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of kinesiotaping therapy versus dry needling for restoring facial function in acute Bell's Palsy. The study was conducted at the Physiotherapy outpatient departments of Bahawal Victoria Hospital and Civil Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Sixty participants aged 30–59 years with confirmed acute Bell's Palsy were randomly assigned to two groups. Group 1 (n=28) received kinesiotaping therapy, while Group 2 (n=30) received dry needling; both interventions were administered three times weekly for six weeks alongside standard antiviral medication. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, third week, and sixth week using the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System and the House-Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading Scale. Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank) were applied using SPSS version 27. Both groups exhibited significant within-group improvements (p<0.05). However, the dry needling group demonstrated substantially greater improvements at both the third week (Sunnybrook: p=0.002; House-Brackmann: p=0.013) and the sixth week (Sunnybrook: p=0.001; House-Brackmann: p=0.002). Dry needling yields superior outcomes for facial symmetry and functional recovery in acute Bell's Palsy compared to kinesiotaping therapy.*