Facial numbness following an accident

I recently fell down and hit my face.  Since that time I've had numbness in the right side of my nose and down through my right cheek, lip and front tooth.  Do I have nerve damage and will it go away on it's own?   Suzen

[osteodoc10]

Yes you have nerve damage; this is why you are feeling numbness. The amount of recovery you will have depends on how badly you injured the nerve. You could lose feeling forever or total feeling could come back. It can take several weeks for a nerve to heel. Regardless, you should see a doctor and make sure you havent fractured your maxilla (cheek bone), which could be pressing on the nerve and causing further irreversible damage.

[Jenny Wren]

My brother-in-law fell on the ice back in February, broke the maxillary bone, and orbital, had to have reconstructive surgery, he has damage to his trigeminal nerve, lip numbness, painful teeth, and achey (achy) around his entire eye.  Get to a doc and have a brain MRI done, this can be serious if not treated.  The ER actually wanted to life flight my brother-in-law to Pittsburgh, they told him there that if you have a fracture in your face and just a little sliver of bone can go to your brain.  PLEASE go get checked out.  Take care

[joker56]

a year ago, i was headbutted on the left-side of the face. since then, pain and numbness has stayed on the left cheek, also around my left eye, the left side of my nose and down to my upper-lip, gum and front teeth. i'm very worried that this could be permanant. is there any ways or methods that i can use to completly cure this problem?

[vega1318]

A friend of mine had a bad facial injury and had the same kind of sensory disturbance as you describe.   After about 1 month, her feeling came back.   Depending on what happenned to your nerve (whether it was temporarily compressed or completely crushed), the feeling may or may not come back.   After a period of time, you may find that you develop different sensation, such as tingling, in that area -- that is a good sign, don't be alarmed it means the nerves are growing back slowly but it actually takes a few months for that to happen.  

I don't think there's any cure - some have suggested Coenzyme Q10 but it unlikely works.  

[erics75218]

do any of you all have any updatedes to this...I see lots of posts regarding this situation, but no resolution posts.  That tells me that the numbness has gone away, but it'd be comforting to know if this is the case.

[Tennisfan]

i agree! i'm "suffering" from the same issue. It's been three weeks now and i'm gonna see a neurologist at the end of the wek finally! lol

[erics75218]

Tennis fan, has it gotten ANY better.  I noticed today, that I can feel around the crease on my nose by my nostril in the area of my face that is numb, and that made me feel good.  I licked my finger and could feel the wetness..sick...but I was happy.  I think that means at least SOME of the nerve is still connected...YES!!! So I hope that, combined with the tingles and occasional pain in my numb teeth mean that the sensory nerve is INDEED connected and in a FEW SHORT DECADES I will regain feeling!!  It's only been 6 days...I recommend keeping a log of the numbness so you can tell for real what is going on.  

I go to a neurologist on Monday.  Today my ENT said that was a waste of time.  This nerve, runs underneath the eyeball, meaning they can't "tease" it into sending signals because they can't get anything under the eye to touch the nerve to test it.  He said if it's severed he feeling is gone forever and if it's just stretched, or torn a bit, it will grow back over time and he said 4 months'ish.  He told me, when I said that I could feel cold in that little area, oh well you will probably get it back.  

I will let you know what the doctor tells me on Monday.  Lets keep this thread alive, because there is a lack of information concerning this other than I notice a bunch of people have this problem following facial trauma.  And like I said, no posts that say "I GOT MY FEELING BACK" or "IT'S GETTING WAY BETTER NOW"..so either people are blowing themselves away or it IS in fact getting better! hahah

[erics75218]

OK update.  It's only brain and spinal nerve cells that can't repoduce/heal...not "superficial" nerves, so I don't know what that ENT was talkin' about.

The neurologist seemed very unconcerned with my ability to get feeling back.  He took a pin, and stuck my face and what do you know I could feel pain in the numb areas of my cheek, he said the nerve is just damaged and it's going to take longer than 2 weeks.

All that being said, the numb areas are different now 2 weeks out.  I can feel temperature in some areas where I couldn't...and I have regained almost all the feeling in an area by the crease of my left nostril all the way through, like a little river to my cheek.  This "river" seperates 2 areas of numbness on my lip, and on my cheek.

Anyways..................

[Tennisfan]

Hey wassup! Sorry i haven't responded in a while but been a lil' busy. Well last week I went to the hospital to see the neurologist and he said and did basically the same thing. He took a sharp object a gently put it to my face to see if i could feel it. I've regained some feeling in places that there wasn't before but an area under my eye right side of my nose to upper lip are still efected. I can feel very little feelin. He said some nerve in my cheek was broken or something and that it takes time to recover.He said every week a little bit heals which is why it takes so much time. The most important thing is that he said i should get full feelin in a month or two. I'm scheduled to follow up with him in about 8 weeks! Just hearin that has made my days go a lil bit easier even though there are days when i feel like it's driving me crazy!!! lol

[erics75218]

ok, it's now 2 days and 2 months past the day my facial damage occured.  And for about a week I've on occasion "forgot" that my lip is still a bit numb.  I have feeling in my entire face now, where there was none before.  I can still feel in some minor areas the furthest away from the injury "something"...but it's hard to describe.  It's not annoying and I expect it to continue to get better.

So all that being said..........I say 2 month recovery time on this bad boy!  GOOD NEWS!!!!!

[ATLien]

Hello everyone, this has been helpful.  I have numbness on left side of my nose, teeth and left side of my upper lip.  I went to my PCP and she prescribed Neurotin for 30 days.  Did anyone else get medication or just let it heal on it's own?  I do have some sensation and I'm getting a tingling sensations every week and some sharp shooting pains so I'm hopeful, but just curious if I should take the Neurotin or not.  The doctor took xrays and states there is no fracture of any kind.

[ravenrogers]

just had an atv accident feeling in my face sounds exact its been 1 week still no change hope it goes away soon

[deb1405]

My son was recently assulted, which resulted in a fracture to his cheekbone in two places just under his eye socket, there is also a piece of bone fragment sitting there (shown up on CT scan).. he has numbness in his left cheek and into his upper jaw. He is seeing a Facial surgeon on monday... does anyone have any ideas what we might expect him to do...  I am concerned about the bone fragment too.
My son is 21...

[Baskee]

My situation:
I was jumped by about 15 people last saturday night/sunday morning after trying to be a good samaritan and save a lady from being abused. I was kicked in the face numerous times and received a fractured nose, swollen shut black right eye and a few other bumps and cuts on my face. It is now thursday and the swelling has mostly subsided but I have numbness on the right side of my nose, my right upper lip and right front upper teeth. And if I try and blow my nose I get a shooting pain from my nose to my right front right tooth like its about to pop.

Thank you for this post, I have been looking everywhere and there have been no resolution posts until I found this thread. Kind of a bummer to know that it takes so long to repair, but I guess its better than never.

[nanasusie]

I fell 7 feet onto my face last September 20th.  I have had X-rays, a CT and an MRI.  They say there is nothing wrong with me, but I still have a numbness in my face from my nose up to the outside corner of my eye.  It feels like I have novicaned that part of my face.  I am not sure what to do now.  Since it has been 4 months and I haven't seen any improvement I am inclined to return to a doctor, but they don't seem to think there is anything wrong.

[sebulba1997]

i was bumped in the face and immediately felt numbness on my nose, cheekbone,gum and lip.
The sensation is frustrating. The most frightning aspect of this is that when I blew my nose my right eye area swelled up like a balloon.
I'm told this is a transient condition called Orbital Emphesyma.
I will not be blowing my nose for a while. The damage to my nerve is there but each day I feel the smallest improvement. It's been 3 days since the injury and I'm seeing a specialist tomorrow.
the xrays didn't show anything serious but there has to be a break of some kind in order to let air through to the orbital eye area.
I can cope with the numbnesss but I need to blow my nose!

[bruisedface]

I was assaulted and had basically the same sensations, numbness from top of right eye,  cheek, nose, teeth. Numbness and pain it was the oddest feeling its been 6 weeks and feel about halfway recovered hopefully not to much longer

[brokeneye]

this thread seems to have been started in may 2007.  there are alot of people here looking for answers or just wanting to post the predicament that they are in.  I'm in the same predicament.  I was assaulted as well on new years eve and had both eye sockets replaced.  The left side of my face is numb.  as others here have already described, the numbness starts from just under the eyelid all the way down to the the lip and also the tooth is numb.  I too have an occasional itch that cannot be scratched, some pulsing and I've also got hope that the feeling will return.  Its possible that it wont return but I'm hoping for the best as I'm sure most of us that have posted here feel for their own situation.  I'm applying cold compresses and have taken the over the counter arnika for the swelling.  When applying the cold compresses I do get tingling in the numb areas.  I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but I do know that its something different than numb.

[Cooties142]

I fell down and hit my head on the corner of a bookcase,face down,hard impact,  just below the left eye. It made an L shaped cut directly under my eye extending to the nose. My nostril ,upper lip and part of my cheek are numb. I do have feeling and movement ,just numbness. This happened 10 days ago and its still numb. If you have movement , shouldn't any damage to the nerve heal? Anyone with any experience with this in thier past? I would think that if the nerve is severed thier would be no movement at all. Thanks

[roha372]

My husband hit me on my left eye and after that there was immediate pain and my eye got bruised and puffness.however it got away in 2days but there is numbness and tinglinging sensation on my left cheek upper lip and on left side of nose...and its not improving..plz any one can tell me wat happened..

[gnasty]

Has anyone had any good news on the numbness? I was kicked in the face during a martial arts class. The right side of my face immediately went numb below my eye, cheek, right side of nose, lip and front tooth. If I try to blow my nose I get a terrible pain in my tooth, and I can feel air pressure in my eye. I am just looking for good news here. I did have xrays and they found an orbital socket break. The doctor said the numbness should go away in a few days, but it isn't any better after a week.

[gnasty]

Has anyone had any good news on the numbness? I was kicked in the face during a martial arts class. The right side of my face immediately went numb below my eye, cheek, right side of nose, lip and front tooth. If I try to blow my nose I get a terrible pain in my tooth, and I can feel air pressure in my eye. I am just looking for good news here. I did have xrays and they found an orbital socket break. The doctor said the numbness should go away in a few days, but it isn't any better after a week.

[gnasty]

Sorry for the double post.I hit enter twice. How do you delete a post?

[jimbo46]

Hi All,

I have to say thanks for all the posts on this forum. Its really helped me out as i havent been able to find anywhere else to diagnose the problem.
I caught a cheeky punch to my cheek bone and the following morning began to notice the very odd numb pain that you are all also experiencing.
I havent had any scans or X-rays as of yet but may go to the hospital tonight just to double check there's no fracture. I will be sure to question the doctor in depth about the nerve healing process and any medication that may help if i do go, and post on here tomorrow.
Until then, i will continue to itch my un-itchable nose!!
J

[darrmz]

Hi everyone, i have just read what iv been experiencing, i got hit in the eye about 2 days ago, got a black eye and cut to my left temple, went to A & E, and they said it was just  bruising. now 2 days on, i feel numbess just below my left eye, left cheek bone and left nostril and lip, my cheekbone doesnt feel right either, and cannot open my jaw wide, and when i do try and eat i can hear this grinding noise, its not my teeth, and i think i better get back to A & E!!

[TearsAmongAshes]

I was in a similar situation to a lot of you guys...smashed my left eyebrow on a table three days ago and had to get my eyebrow glued up. Still have a nasty shiner. I didn't experience numbness right away, but recently I've been VERY restless while trying to sleep. (It's 3:30 AM right now, and I got up because my mind keeps racing a mile a minute and I keep experiencing this thing where the left side of my face kinda tingles and sometimes my left arm does it, too.) I wanted to check and see if any of you have experienced the arm thing? Sounds like the facial paresthesia if pretty common, which is encouraging. I'll schedule to see my doctor sometime over the next couple of days. Thanks a bunch!

[daniel242]

heyyy thanks alot the forum its really has took alot of stress off my sholders. I got punched a the other day i was sitting down eating my food much like an earlier posting and i turn around and get a punch thrown at my eye not sure how many to tell you the truth. I been in alot of fights unfourtantly and I never got punched liked that Immeditly i started pouring out blood from my nose my eye got swollen to the point i couldnt open it my cheek got swollen and a cut on my face and blood in my eye it was really bad and I to cant feel part of my right lip or right upper tooth but im hoping it will heal. Stupidly the guy parked infront of a camera now im just deciding if i should call the cops and go after him.

[ferretlady947]

i dropped a heavy book on my face about 2 weeks ago. it was on a top shelf and i was looking up from a standing position trying to get something else,,,when the book fell and landed straight on my left cheek upper left lip area. it all happened so fast i could not avoid the book falling
the area got red and was slightly painful and i just brushed off the incident thankful i didnt break a tooth in the front.
about 5 days later i started noticing tingling, then a numbness along my top lip, upper left teeth and gum areas, left cheek up to the lower eye area and left nose area.
when i apply heat i feel that slightly and when i pinch with a pin i feel that also,,,,but still numb and tingly..almost like the feeling of being at the dentist as novacaine is wearing off.
does anyone know if this will last,,,go away at some point or if I did permanant damage. this seems to be a very common situation as I am reading,,,but no one is gettting a resolution to the problem?? thanks for any help anyone can give me

[lynette383]

Did you ever get your feeling back or have surgery? I Had surgery 10 days ago and I still have numbness R nose area, upper R lip and teeth. I have a lot of tingling with sharp pains and I guess that is good.

[liz2307]

what did you find out from your visit from the doctor about the healing process? did you end breaking a bone

[Aggiejo33]

I got headbutted on the left side of my face playing soccer about 7 years ago and ended up breaking my left orbital and cheek bone. I had reconstructive surgery after the swelling went down a couple of weeks later and had a plate put in to help hold the orbital together as it healed. Unfortunately, I also have permanent nerve damage resulting in numbness/that tingly feeling from the corner of the eye down through the cheek all the way to the lip and upper left gum area, basically the whole left side of the face. I hoped that it would someday go away,  but sorry to say it has not. It still swells up sometimes when i sleep on that side of my face, do any sort of really strenuous activity, or sometimes just because it is bothering me and my eyes start to water. I know it sounds like it *****, but I really have gotten used to it, or as used to it as I can i guess. Hopefully you all can get feeling back, as this is really the longest lasting and most aggravating side effect of this sort of injury.

[kazzyb68]

i was  4 wks ago and had to have my cheekbone out back in place 3 wks ago from the moment i was hit i felt numbness aorund my nose, lip, gums, teeth and cheek on the left side, there is some improvemnet but 4 wks on there is still numbness and swlling under the eye near to the nose the numbness im getting used even though i will be glad when its gone but the itching is driving me crazy if i touch my nose then my lip tickles or if i touch my cheek the nose tickles but being numb scratching gives no relief whatsoever, is anybody else experiencing this?

[amoebaSIX]

yikes - this thread spans quite a bit of time!

i was punched in the face about a week ago. i don't think anything was broken, but i got quite a shiner and most of the left side of my face is numb in the same manner most here describe: left side from below the eye, over the cheek, side of nose, upper lip, and upper teeth and gums.

of course i don't have insurance so i can't go to a doctor. yay. this is why i am researching myself.

reading this thread has given me some hope i will get feeling back eventually, but unfortunately no one seems to follow up much with reports afterwards. i promise to keep posting with my own follow up reports.

so far, most of my swelling is gone, but the numbness remains. i will come back weekly and post my progress. thanks everyone!

[i_dislike_waiting]

I fell 4 months ago and injured my cheekbone - no fracture according to x-rays.  I still have the surface numbness and aching in a 4 cm circle around my cheekbone.  I still can't sleep on that side without waking up with it hurting.  Lately, I have been experiencing headaches and sinus-like pain orginating from the area.  the bones still hurts a bit to touch. also hurts to smile or make other facial movements... I am hoping this isn't permanent.  I wonder how long should wait to see the GP again, but then, sounds like there is nothing they can do but tell me to wait.  grrrr.

[jsgreen]

hello all, this is a Very long thread and noone comes back to re-post so that the rest of us can have hope! or at least more info. my damage happened in surgery and is much like the rest of the symptoms that have been posted here for years now. IF anyone reading this has any experience with these typr injuries and can shed light on the subject, especially if u are one of the post-ers above, please bring us all up to date on your progress! i will be back to encourage i hope. its been 4 weeks now and still all numb and lips dont work right. i will see two doctors this week

[ab04wq]

Seeing as nobody seems to provide updates I'll pass on some good news.

I was recently hit in the face with puck while playing eye hockey. I immediately had a shiner followed by the black eye. The numbness ranged from my left cheeck starting just below my eye, left side of nose and left upper lip. The numbness is caused by damage or blockage to the infraorbital nerve. Google "infraorbital nerve" this and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

If you fracture your cheekbone this nerve can become pinched quite easily and in some cases can require surgery to decompress the nerve. Fortunately, I had no fractures but simply damaged the nerve. If you're feeling a tingling or itching sensation in the numb areas this is a great sign and an indication that the nerve has not be severed.    

My doctor advised me that the feeling may come back from anywhere between 2 weeks to a couple months depending on how badly the nerve was damage.

[lestatkt]

I am so glad to have found this long thread.  I was punched in the left eye on New Years Eve and have a nice shiner with broken blood vessels in my eye.  I am also experiencing the numbness down the left side of my nose, partial cheek, lip and tooth.  Feels like a novocain numbness and is irritating at times.  I was worried about this condition, but seeing as this seems pretty normal, I will just be patient and hope for the best.  Thanks all.

I will keep you updated if and when any feeling comes back that is significant.

[amoebaSIX]

hello again. thank you ab04wq for helping me find my way back here!

well, it's been 4 weeks, and i wish i had better news. i still don't think anything was broken, since i don't have trouble sleeping on my left side, but i have not gained any feeling back yet. i have more or less gotten used to it, but it is a constant strangeness that can be quite annoying at times. i find myself having to check for food and drink stuck to my lip, haha! the skin still feels a bit thick and stiff to the touch, but everything looks normal.

on the plus side, i do get a twinge every once in a while, sort of a tingle or itch. i am hoping that this means there is still hope i will get some feeling back. and thank you again ab04wq for the infraorbital nerve info. i will look into that!

if i'm not back again in a few weeks, please feel free to prod me! take care all.

[jsgreen]

hello all, i previously posted on jan 3rd. i went to see those two doctors. they both think that the sensations in cheek, near eye, lip, and teeth will return, especially because i have 'paresthesia' which is the tingling and wierd sensations that some of us are feeling. when i go out and work in the cold (im way up north) the numbness gets worse so im guessing that the nerve pathways are compromised and the cold increases that effect. i have begun to get some feeling in my mid-cheek area and onto my nose so for all of you w' paresthesia there is hope. my teeth are still pretty numb tho and i still have no feeling on my lower eyelid. and sometimes the various places seem to get even numb-er. but im hopeful. and like i said, i will keep giving updates so those of you recently injured can get an idea what to expect, altho not all cases are the same. this time im hoping im typical lol and heal like most everyone does with infraorbital nerve injuries!

[amoebaSIX]

good news jsgreen, and than you for your doctors' report! i am back to report similar sensations. i still have no feeling from touching the area, but i am starting to really get tingles and twitches, especially out in the cold. i am also getting a sensation that feels like a hair or cat whiskers brushing against the side of my nose and/or in my nostril. this really can drive me nuts at times, but i welcome it! feeling much more hopeful that things will be back to normal eventually. i'm about 5 weeks now from the injury date.

[amoebaSIX]

hello again, just providing another update. i am about 7 weeks out from my injury as described above.

my tingling in getting really strong now. quite annoying actually, but i certainly welcome this. most of the sensation is around the perimeter of the dead area, but i am getting a bit of feeling in the whole area. i hope this give other people some hope, because the area was completely dead for a long time.

i'll keep posting my progress, but i am happy with what is going on right now, as uncomfortable as it is. the feeling is like a cross between freshly punched and the onset of frostbite. not pleasant, but certainly better than nothing!

[amoebaSIX]

btw, here is a good image of the exact area of my numbness:
http://img.medscape.com/pi/emed/ckb/clinical_procedures/79926-81306-82660-140250.jpg

[jsgreen]

hello again, i am back to report. i am now about 7 weeks away from injury. the image that amoebaSIX left the link for is pretty much Exactly the area that I have affected also. i now have feeling in and on my nose and some in the midface. right under my eyes is still feeling a throbbing and occasional tingles but no feeling yet. my lip is still pretty much numb and yes, just like amoebaSIX, after being out in the cold and then warming, the tingling is more evident. i dont know why this would be so. perhaps someone else could explain that. my teeth seem like they might be coming around but the numbness of the lip behind them makes the sensation odd and indiscernible somehow. the numb lips feel like when you burn your lip or tongue and have a vague amount of sensory left but it is altered. and strangely, when eating, the numbness appears to be worse. occasionally lately the tingling is accented by a pins and needles feeling more like a pin is being stuck somewhere. i take that as a hopeful sign. the lack of muscle control in part of the lip is still not there however. im hoping that since the eye area and lips area is furthest away from the infraorbital rim nerve, that these areas are the last to recover bcause the nerves grow back very slowly- a tiny distance each day. ok thats my update. hope it helps someone.

[ab04wq]

6 weeks since injury.....feeling in cheek and nose has returned to about 80 percent. I now have some sensation in the lip and just above the lip....shaving is slightly less nerve racking. Another month so and I think i'll be back to normal. Definitely making alot of progress!

Hang in there kids.

[Moussa718]

3 weeks ago was playing football and i dove to make a catch and i caught a knee right to the face...fractured cheekbone damaged nerve...no feeling in with the right nostril, inside right nostril..my right side cheek..upper right side lip like from the lip and up to nostril also num...and teeth on the right upper right side starting with the big front tooth...eye swelled up pretty bad all around it...went to ER for all that info..they said a couple weeks id get feeling back...2 weeks in i got the feeling back in my cheek and nostril...but im now 3 weeks in and the teeth and upper right lip is showing no progress...went to a specialist just 2 days ago and told me it could take up to 6 months but doesnt know if it will come back because the fracture really did damage on the nerve...also found out not to blow my nose because blood seeps in through the fracture and causes swelling in the eye..so just a warning for you guys...these posts are a big help though keep them coming would love to hear some success stories tho because i'm panicking here idk if this is gonna be permanent or not..

[REINDEERXMAS]

I banged my left eye on 1st Jan 2011, I had a black eye for about a week, numbness as others have descriped, however, good news, 6 weeks on most of the numbness has gone, though it feels worse when out in the cold, once warmed up most of the feeling comes back, mostly just my nose and front teeth numb.  Getting lots of weird sensations around the nose and top lip, twitching, awful itch that can only be stopped by rubbing with a rough tissue, also feeling of nose running when it isn't, hopefully a few more weeks and it will all be back to normal. Hope this helps others, it can take anything from 4 - 12 weeks depending on the extent of the damage, the nerve will heal if not severed its just very slow, a millimetre at a time.

Good Luck

[amoebaSIX]

okay, about 10 weeks now. things are coming back nicely!

still have a dullness in general, but i get some feeling everywhere i touch now. still getting a lot of sudden, sharp tingles and twitches, and it is really bothered by cold. but i'm really confident now that i should have a full recovery. i would say i'm maybe 50% right now.

for everyone with the tingling "paresthesia" you for sure have hope. and even if you don't have that feeling yet, hang in there. i didn't get any sensations at all until about week six.

thank you everyone for coming back and reporting! please keep doing so!

[amoebaSIX]

reindeerxmas - great comment. the sudden severe itchy lip and nose, and the feeling of a runny nose, yes i have those too. not so much anymore - as more feeling comes back those sensations subside. thanks for adding those descriptions!

[amoebaSIX]

ok, time for another update (thanks ion49 for contacting me!).

very good progress for me. there is still some numbness and the occasional stabbing twitches and tingles. the spot feels kind of tough or stiff (kind of like a fat lip feeling) when i move my face, but i have i can feel the entire area when i run my finger across it.

i suspect i am still a few more weeks from feeling completely normal, but i have full confidence this will happen! hang in there everyone! i know the first few weeks can feel like there is no hope at all. it took a very long time before i got any sensation at all, so please be patient.

good luck to everyone. i am hoping my next post here in a few weeks will be to inform you of my complete recovery.

[desidiesel]

Ok Heres another one... As I been reading all of everyones *** kicking, Well here's mine.. I got jumped by 3 guys at about 2 am sunday night.. Both eyes were shut and bruises on the right side of my temple and a alittle cut above my left eye. I was kicked in the face and punched as well.
I have been to the doctors and he told me to give it time. THANKS DOC!!
Like some of you I have numbness on the left side of my face, aprox location is under my left eye, left lip and upper teeth. When I blow my nose, it feels like it hurts, I also get cold streaks, and tingling, It almost feels like I was at the dentist and he froze it.

I dont know what to expect for healing time. but the information i got from the doctor is as follows.
-Within the first 24 to 48 hours of a beat down, you have to ice the eyes and other red brused areas.
- After 2-3 days of ice and T3's and ibuprofen 200mg, Start to use a warm compress under the eye were the nerve is located (this will help blood flow) and faster heal time.

Today is the 6th day and already I can feel little bits of my face.
Anyone else have other ideas to what they did or doing at the moment?

[domlaaa]

I was attacked on the tube on Friday night and woke up the next morning with a huge black eye. I went to work and they sent me to the hospital straight away. Stupidly, I put it off until Monday when I started to realise the numbness in my face wasn't going away the way I thought it would. Turns out my left cheek bone is fractured and now I have to go back to the Facial Clinic on Thursday. I wasn't expecting them to do anything other than say "be careful with it" but after reading this I'm quite worried there may be something more to it. I shall let you know what happens.

[ION49]

Hello. Sorry about the earlier 'empty' comment. I accidently hit the 'post comment' button.

Anyway, like most of you. I also hurt my face and in the process, sustained an Infra-orbital Nerve injury leading to numbness of the area that is innervated by that nerve - under the eyelid, the nostril and above the upper lip. This area was well-described by previous posts.

Like most of you, I was also asking if I will ever regain sensation of that area. And when? In my many on-line search, I stumbled upon the term 'Wallerian Degeneration'. It explains how the nerve of our body repairs itself after an injury. And also, how long it takes for a nerve to regenerate. It also explains why other nerves of our body are not able to regenerate.

Based on that, I estimated that I would regain sensation of the area innervated by the Infra-Orbital Nerve in about 2 months to 5 months.

Today is April 08. Exactly 2 months from the date of my injury. And I can honestly say, that while the area still has some 'tingling' paresthesia, I can definitely say that the area no longer feels thick and numb. The area now definitely feels thin. And I can now feel my forefinger when I run it over them.

So, maybe 3 more months, and it will all be back to where it was. Hopefully.

Thank you to those who posted their experiences and their progress. You gave me something to hang on.

For those who would like to read more on what 'Wallerian Degeneration' is all about, here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallerian_degeneration

[LucieLue]

On August 2010, I had trauma to the left side of my face. I experienced numbness in the bottom left side of my chin, my gums and the two front, left side, teeth. When the numbness didn't go away in a few days, I came online and found this thread and was happy to learn that most people stated that the numbness goes away between 2 to 4 months. Well, it's 9 months now and my face has not returned to it's normal feeling. I have experience, and am still experiencing, the tingling in my face and it does feel a lot better than it did originally OR I'm just use to it now....I'm not quite sure which it may be. But I just wanted to post that the process may take longer than 2 to 4 months as I am still experiencing the same sensations in the same area 9 months later.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. This incident of facial trauma could have damaged one of the branches of trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensory innervations to the face. Depending on the type of nerve injury according to seddon’s classification, it could be neuropraxia, neurontomesis and axonotmesis. If it is neuropraxia, complete recovery is expected. Axonotmesis involves regeneration of nerve fibers at about 1 to 2 mm per day so recovery of conduction to a target structure involves regrowth into the appropriate endoneurium or the sheath encasing the nerve and the distance involved. Neurontomesis also does not correlate with complete recovery. So the rate of recovery after nerve damage are variable and depend on these factors. You need to wait and watch and get a nerve conduction velocity study done in the meanwhile. Take care.

[txbearkat]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

I was in an MMA sparring session Monday when my opponent went a little heavier than we agreed on and I got a clean right hand to my eye.  My vision was blurred for a few minutes (like I'd lost a contact) but that soon returned to normal.

My eye was black and my face was numb (the left side as most everyone has described here).  I went home and began to gently blow my nose just a bit...my eyelid started to swell, so I immediately stopped that.

Here were Wednesday, and my face is still numb, with all the itchiness and tingling.  The swelling has gone down.  I've decided against seeing a doctor unless it gets worse.  It seems like everyone was/is going through the same thing I am.  The numbness in my face is the most irritating part, but this thread has given me encouragement.  

I will post progress as well.

[txbearkat]

So it's been a little over a week since the injury.  The black eye has healed about 95% (just a small red mark remains).

The numbness in my face continues.  For the first few days it felt as though my lip was in permanent "Elvis mode."  It felt like it was curled up all of the time.  I had to check a mirror to make sure it wasn't.  It doesn't feel like that anymore.

It seems like the triangular area that was numb has gotten smaller.  It goes from my left nostril to the left corner of my mouth and left part of my upper lip.  I've gotten used to it for the most part, I'm only reminded of the numbness when I get an itch.  

The itchiness can be insane.  There's nearly nothing I can do to calm it.  I just scratch at it and hope that my mind believes I've satisfied the itch, haha.  

I had read that some said they experienced tooth pain.  I hadn't experienced any of this until late Saturday night.  It felt like I had gotten some work done or had braces tightened.  (I'm 30 and haven't had braces in many, many years.)

I just took some ibuprofen and went to sleep.  The next day, it was gone.  It happened again Monday night, after drinking a cold drink, but it wasn't as bad as Saturday.  Since then, I haven't had any tooth pain.

I believe this is going to take more than a few weeks to completely heal.  I'm hopeful though after reading the progress from others here and comparing them to my own expereince.

[txbearkat]

Week #3 Update

My lip doesn't feel quite as stiff and numb as it has in the past two weeks.  It feels as though I have more mobility from it.  The area of numbness has been reduced to about a fingertip-sized area between my left nostril and top left lip.  It's still a bit itchy, but I am able to scratch and calm it...really calm it, it's not my brain tricking itself.  :)

I've also experienced no pain in my teeth.  The feeling has come back to the gums and teeth in that area, so I think that's where the pain was coming from.

I've still trained, but I've avoided all hard sparring for now.    

I think it'll be another two or three weeks before it's completely back to normal.  This is the first time I've experienced any facial trauma.  Thankfully nothing was broken on my end (my own assessment, I did not visit the doctor as I began to heal pretty quickly).  

[txbearkat]

It's been about a month and a half since the injury.  Only my left upper lip still remains numb.  It's not as bad (I may just be used to it), but it's itchy.  Since the last update, I spent about a week with this incurable itch in my left nostril.  It was unbearable at times!  I regained feeling there, so it as worth it.

The most bothersome part now is that when I eat, it feels like I have food stuck between my lip and gum.  I don't, though.  I can now feel the hairs being pulled when I shave that area.  It was a bit frightening to shave it and have no feeling in it whatsoever.  

I also noticed that if I scratch or press the outside of my left nostril, my lip tingles.  It's strange, but I'm glad to feel a tingle in my lip.  I think it's just going to be a few more weeks for this to feel normal.  

[FixedGearRider]

Hey everyone,

I too am suffering from the numbness most of you are experiencing/have experienced. My story is as goes, last week while riding my bike home in the city, I was mugged and assault while I was stopped at a red light. The next moment I know I'm picking myself up off the ground, after being knocked unconscious, and find that I have blood running from my face, nose, and mouth. I was hit with either a fist, bat, or some other object with enough force that It caused a fracture in my face. After calling the police and making a trip to the ER and to an ENT Dr, I was told that my fracture didn't require surgery. I was thankful for that. However, since the incident I am left with the right side of my face being completely numb. My ENT Dr explained how the nerves run through the face, and stated that it was unknown if I severed them, but that I probably just damaged them. I was told it would be at least 4 months before I'll regain any sensation, if I do recover.
The numbness begins just below my eye, the complete right side of my nose, and also half of my lip. My teeth on my right side hurt now, and has made eating quite unpleasant. I see that I am not the only one experiencing this facial numbness and see that a lot of you have recovered. I am thankful for that and now have a better outlook. Oh, I put an ice cube on the numb areas of my face and could feel cold after keeping it pressed. I'm hoping that's a good sign. I was thinking of making an appointment with a neurologist but I was told it was pointless and that nerve regeneration is really just a waiting game.  I will  my progress and I hope that we all can find some relief. I hope others will remain active on this board as well.

[txbearkat]

Alright...about 8 weeks in now.  My left lip feels much more "pliable" now.  It still doesn't feel completely "normal" but it's getting there.  I did notice that I couldn't feel temperature in that area before, but now I can.  I also get some itching there, and I can rub it to ease it.  It truly feels better each week.

Hang in there FixedGear...it's a slow and sometimes annoying process.  Keep us updated on your progress.

[nlegdhen]

I had an accident few years back and fall on the road by bike. Doctor told according to the report that my upper jaw(maxilla) was not broken but having a crack and damaged my neck. Now even after three years, still i am having a problem with the neck pain and gum's nerves are aching tingling, so i really don't know what to do and doctor told me there is no any medication but it heals with the time. Also i am unable to eat hard solid and too cold and hot can't drink. If you guys have any suggestion then i am very thankful to all of you and I am just celebrating just being alive. Please help me and God bless you.
                                                          by Tsering

[shaggy422]

well about 2 years ago i was jumped by 10 men they bashed my face in and broke my top left skull down to my nasal  cavity my face has been numb ever sense if the question is will the numbness go away no it wont ive had acne puncture , pain therapist ,and doctors all the same no luck my face is never going to heal and the only thing you can do to get rid of the numbness is to re compress the nerves that are numb but it always comes back if your like me and have that feeling to get use to it it will always be there it ***** i know but its what happens when you break that part of your face dont bother trying to find a way to get it fixed you'll just wast your money there are no doctors out there that can help becuz it has never been documented before so there's no cure for it only 1 in 1000 people have it happen to them or at least that's what my doctor  told me so who ever reads this feel unlucky for your a part of a group of people that know what it feels like to be completely  numb          

[shaggy422]

well about 2 years ago i was jumped by 10 men they bashed my face in and broke my top left skull down to my nasal  cavity my face has been numb ever sense if the question is will the numbness go away no it wont ive had acne puncture , pain therapist ,and doctors all the same no luck my face is never going to heal and the only thing you can do to get rid of the numbness is to re compress the nerves that are numb but it always comes back if your like me and have that feeling to get use to it it will always be there it ***** i know but its what happens when you break that part of your face dont bother trying to find a way to get it fixed you'll just wast your money there are no doctors out there that can help becuz it has never been documented before so there's no cure for it only 1 in 1000 people have it happen to them or at least that's what my doctor  told me so who ever reads this feel unlucky for your a part of a group of people that know what it feels like to be completely  numb          

[PirateE]

I got cheap shotted a couple weekends ago breaking up a fight.  It was the worse black eye I have ever had.  (and I've had my fair share)  10 days later almost all of the discloration is gone (thanks to using preparation H in the affected area to draw out the blood) and I think all of the swelling is gone.  I have numbness about an inch under my left eye and on my cheeak halfway across my face, the left side of my nose is numb, the left side of my upper lip is numb and my gums are numb on the upper left side of my mouth.  This is the first time I have ever had any face trauma that gave numbness.  I haven't been to the doctor and after reading these posts, I don't think I am going to go to the doctor.  I feel confident that I am only dealing with nerve damage and that I don't have any fractures.  I will follow up on this post over the next few months to let anyone thats interested know how my recovery is going.  If I find the guy that cheap shotted me between now and then my recovery time may restart.  Bullies and ******* always get whats coming to them, in this life or the next.  Time is our friend.  Appreciate every day we have.  If this is all we are dealing with in life, count your blessings, it could be a lot worse.  10 days and counting...

[JMHud]

I had the same thing happen to me two weeks ago. I wish I had better news to report, but my face is still numb. The awkwardness of it has faded a bit and I can feel different temperatures now. I did bite my lip really hard while eating and I could really feel that. All in all I believe it's getting better but it seems to take a long time. I will keep you all posted.

[txbearkat]

It's been 5 months since I was hurt.  I can say that it's 99.9% healed.  There is only a weird feeling if I drink something extremely cold, then my upper lip (just below my left nostril) feels...weird.  It's nothing major, and I've regained all my sensativity and feeling in my face.

I've since had check ups with my optomitrist and dentist, neither of which had any changes.

I had resumed training with sparring about a month after, and I've taken a few hits to the previously affected area, and nothing has happened.  I even took an elbow and aside from minor swelling, nothing else happened.

I'd say I noticed progress every two weeks or so.  The 6-8 weeks was hell because of the itch that I couldn't get rid of.  Of course, that was a good thing as my nerves were healing.

[beaverwack]

Hey everyone,

Well here is my story, its a bit different than the others since my symptoms came later.

I was playing basketball and was elbowed in the eye/mouth.  Cracked my 2 front teeth and had a Maxillary fracture and what I think they called the other a orbital fracture.  I went home that night and just planned on going to the dentist the next day but my nose started bleeding heavily so I decided to go to the ER.  Got the results of the CT and it said I had fractures so I had to stay overnight to meet the face specialist.

I had no double vision and no signs of numbness at this time.  Just a swollen eye.  He did a few tests and decided I didn't need surgery and released me.  He said to make sure to not blow my nose or even use a straw.  No pressure on the nose/eye area at all.  He also said generally if you don't have blurred vision at the time of the incident, then you most likely won't get the symptom later.

Anyway about 3-4 days later I wake up and I can't feel the right side of my face.  Pretty scary feeling.  Since I just got a root canal done I can definitely remember the feeling of nova-cane, and the facial numbness feels exactly like it.  An unpleasant persistent tingling from the lower eye to upper portion of the lip. It isn't completely numb since I can feel my finger brushing across but it is basically in the same exact area as the following picture that was posted earlier:

http://img.medscape.com/pi/emed/ckb/clinical_procedures/79926-81306-82660-140250.jpg

I have a follow up appointment with the specialist in a few hours and I will post here again when I find out what he says.

Keep your heads up!

[beaverwack]

So I went to the doctor for the follow up.  Basically a big waste of time.  He did the same exact tests as in the hospital and that was about it.  He seemed like he was unsure about the numbness setting in after the injury rather than at the time.  He said, "Maybe you just didn't notice the numbness until now."  But that is a bunch of ********, I could definitely tell the difference the morning I woke up and it felt like I had 5 shots of nova-cane in 1 side of my face.

Anyway he said in most cases the tingling/numbness will go away over time and that it is rare for it to be permanent.

Good luck to the rest of you numbfacer's!

[painmurder]

im going to see a doctor!
my upper lip is numb,and i'm afraid if there's fracture on my cheekbone as i can see a strange line across my cheekbone.
i had an accident and my face crushed onto the front seat and my nose bleed for a little while, it may be due to skull compression, but who knew what is exactly happen under the skin

[nikkig254]

About a week ago I was at a halloween party with my sister and 2 men were trying to violate her, So I tried to stop it and these men didn't care for that too well and punched me and smashed a beer bottle in my face! I had to have six stitches on the right side of my face! I didn't noticed until 2 days ago that I have complete numbness on the right side of my face from my lower eye lid to my upper lip! Also I have noticed that the right side of my face looks a little droopy, kind of like I had a stroke and when I smile the right sideof my lips don't meet the hight the left side of my lips do! Hoping that is not permanant and has anyone else expireinced anything like this? I too am expireincing the tingling and itching sinsations! I'm praying for a full recovery! As time goes on I will post to let everyone know how my recovery is going! Thanks to all that have posted!  

[jimmywoo]

i was attacked and ended up with a tri zygoma fracture.
6 months on,ive still got swelling,not bad but you can notice.
from lip to under eye is puffy and has numbness.
feels like its a effort to smile,
ive been told diferent things from different docs.they all seem to have different answers.
i see a lot of folk saying a few months for nerves to develop again,but id atleast wait a year.i will as my head was used as a football by a group of cowards.it all depends on how serious the trauma,and also i how healthy you are..
if you are a smoker,it can really prolong things,which i am,i even notice a smoke can swell the area up.
ive sort of got used to the feeling and the look of it,but every now and then it   annoys me,id love the swelling to go and have the sensation back..
i was told today at my 6 month review im left with what i have,by the maxi doc,,,,,,,,,,again,different info from all the othe maxi docs ive seen and also gp's.........................
everyone heals different,,,who knows what will happen,
it would be great to hear from people on here who are 6 months down the line.............
i can't believe there is not more stuff on the internet about facial fracture/numbness and peoples expos with recovery....not even any videos yet it happens everyday....

[jimmywoo]

yes be checked out,ive been left with a scar along the cheekbone,almost looks like a knife has gone across it,,yes you may have a fracture,it needs sorting if so......

[bethj227]

THANK YOU to all who posted and have been giving me hope that this awful feeling will go away!  Last week I tripped and hit the right side of my face on a bedside table.  I noticed right away that the right side of my face was numb.  Very scary experience.  I googled it and found this thread and felt so much better, knowing I wasn't alone, and that it will probably return to normal in a few weeks.  It is still quite annoying, there is nothing you can do about the tingling and itching except wait for it to stop eventually. I just keep remembering that it is a good sign, I think the nerves must be repairing themselves.  I hope so anyway!  I drink out of a straw when possible because I am afraid of spilling on myself, it's pretty annoying!  I can't wait til I can feel kisses on my lips again, very weird to have the top right side of my mouth numb.  The whole experience was weird.  It's only been a week, I read it can take weeks or months  But every time I think about it, I realize it could have been worse, I could have been disfigured for life!  So if for some reason this never goes away I'll always say it could have been worse/

[nikkig254]

It's been 3 weeks now and I've got some of the feeling back in my face but I still have some numbness! I still can't smile right and still have some swelling! I'm going to see a doctor today about it, just incase my face will never be the same! I'm taking the guys to court that did this to me even if I do recover I think they should pay for what they have done to my face, I will be scared for life!!!!!!!!!

[hello1988]

I suffered a fracture around my left eye and numbness under my eyeon the left side of my nose and the top left of my top lip. It was almost 3 weeks ago and no feeling has come back however i have started to get tingles and itches. is this a good sign? the feeling in my nose is horrible, feels like i have a runny itch nose.

[nikkig254]

It's been 4 weeks since the incident and I still having swelling and numbness! I can feel some parts of my face that I couldn't before but it's still very annoying! I am able to live with it more now then when it first happened but I'm still hoping for good results!!! I have faith!!!!!!!!

[painmurder]

my ENT doctor said that i had fractured on my facial bone but he said it's nothing serious and no surgery is required. the numbness on my front tooth and on my right upper lip is due to nerve compression and he prescribed vitamin for the nerves for 6 month. he said that i'm going back to be normal but of course i've to wait for months. i asked him what if i dont recover from this numbness? and he said surgery will be the last resort and he is sure surgery will fix the nerve problem. but i'm very worry if the right side of my face will be kind of droopy, even though all my friends said that they cannot see any differences on my face after the accident. do you think small fracture can create hollow on my face?  

[jakeyboo2]

my German Shorthaired Pointer jumped up and hit me square in the nose last night. Nose is numb, tingly and sore with pain around cheeks and eyes. Very stuffy nose now but not bruising or bleeding. I was told historically that i had a deviated septum (which i ignored). Is it possible that something is broken in there somewhere? i cant believe how much it hurts and I actually feel find of sick..........

[jimmywoo]

still no change for me..coming up 7 months now and still one sided hamster cheek style lol.

[nikkig254]

I'm still the same!!! I still have the numbness and tingling and it's been 6 weeks!!!! But I heard it can take a few months to recover! I went to see the states attorney and she told me that one of the guys that did this to me is looking at 10 years in prison due to his outstanding record and the other one they still haven't cought but by the looks of it he's just getting a slap on the wrist!!! But that's ok he will get whats coming to him cus karma is a B*T*H!!!!!! Still hoping and praying I recover cus I look rediculous!!!!!!! :(

[fighter_88]

Im a MMA fighter i train as a proffessional yesterday i was doing full contact sparring with a proffessional boxer and took multiple blows to the right side of my face with 10 oz gloves over 3 rounds I did not notice until i was driving home i couldent feel my right side of my cheek , nose and right upper lip and 3 of my top teeth although im not sure if my teeth went numb for not wearing a mouth gaurd.
today im feeling itching beside my nose and my upper lip feeling little surges but not sure if thats the tingeling my face is not swallen besides a mild black eye but does the itching and the surging mean its healing and I dont need a doctor or should i go see one.
I still have to train for a up comming fight and in my own stupidity of pride i dont want to my gym I have been injured but from what I have read I wont be able to be hit in the face or i could end up with permanent damage is this true I will keep posting my progress any help or info would be very appreciated thank you .

[fighter_88]

Day 5 got slight feeling on alot of the numb area when i poke it i can feel the slight poke followed by pins n needles type pain the tingling and itching is going crazy and its really annoying but i gess thats healing i also decided to tell my trainers and decided not to risk any facial blows and stick to drilling and body sparry until i recover
im assuming it will take awhile till i have full feeling again but im happy to no it is healing
cant wait to be able to feel what im eating on both sides my face again
and not have to give my partner a kiss from one side my face to feel it  
i will stay updated

[sidabra]

so nice to find this. thought i'd share since i used it..

had a car wreck a year ago in december of 2010 that gave me numbness in the same areas as the previously posted pic on here (under eye to top lip).

i noticed no numbness immediately after the wreck until about an hour later when it started to quickly develop. it wasn't until about several hrs later my face began to turn black around my eye, red and unbelievably swollen all over the right side of my face. a couple days later i went to the hospital and had a scan/X-ray of some sort for my head (sorry, it's been too long to recall which). i believe they were just checking for brain damage or concussion, not the fracture. they said everything looked "okay" (wtf? that's not medically descriptive, nurse) but to get a follow up from my physician. i never did though.

the numbness was the exact type of tingling sensations described in earlier posts. it has healed VERY slowly over time. lots of ice helped in the healing process.

it's been a year since my accident and i still have a small firm/hard (maybe fluid-filled) spot only under my cheek. all the feeling on the surface of my skin seems to have returned where it was once numb. this spot, however, is deep under the skin, not on the surface, and remains numb with the tingly sensation when i touch it and sometimes sharp pains when i sleep on the side wrong or a severe temperature change occurs.

NOW, this is the part i wanted to share with nikkig254 and jimmywoo; no one else has included anything about it which is what i was looking for. my muscular movement on the right side of my face does seem decreased in the cheek area beside my nostril and my upper lip. i've been attributing it to the hardened area under my skin. if neither of you have that from where you were hit, it may simply be the muscles. BUT these differences i see in muscle movement are only noticeable to me it seems, probably since i've been using this face my entire life, i suppose....... it does sometimes annoy me because making expressions i used to before the accident feels like a chore :[ (smile/frowning/yawning doesn't feel even, nose won't scrunch up much on right side) i know it sounds really minute, but it still is bothersome to not have that once owned control, especially placed next to one side that does.

to remedy it, i'm going to try massaging the firm area under my skin and stretching the muscles daily to see if it improves. Expressions that i've been leaning towards my better half of my face, i'm now focusing on making with the bad half to make it more balanced and start to come naturally. just doing it in the mirror the few times i've already practiced seems to yield minor results for a short period of time. think half of my face is getting lazy since the other side moves much more readily (this is all only mostly noticeable to me- i'm pretty positive). you ought to try it while yours is still newer. probably never going to go to the doc about it because no one else ever notices it, it doesn't bother me so that i can't function, and there are way worse scenarios in a person's life.

just the information i have on that. it has taken MANY months to heal. may not be done, may be. don't get discouraged by the muscle dilemma, though. many people naturally favor one "dominant" side for expressions and most people do NOT have symmetrical features anyhow.. it really is true. take especial notice one day.

GL, everyone. hope you all have successful/perfect recoveries, but if not YOU WILL BE OKAY. i'm still enjoying life just fine and have had many great things happen in the past year since the accident. i married the man of my dreams, still can talk perfectly fine, and perfect strangers still find me beautiful... so the symmetry can't be thaaaat bad. keep posting guys to provide information for others!

[nikkig254]

I have the same problems! I can't smile/frown/ect. on the left side of my face! Are you telling me that I'll probably never have feeling in those areas again?

[fighter_88]

day 11
Im starting to think I may have been the lucky one or a fast healing as my body is always healing its self from blows.
I have gained more feeling i can infact feel all areas slightly and when i scatch or rub the areas i can feel the sensation but still qiet numb
I would say
it will be a month or alittle over till I can feel it normally again but it has become very tolerable now and i can feel my teeth so so that helps in the eating department so i dont feel like a zombie missing the top right half my mouth.
my black eyes gone and i look completly normal sidabra was talking about lop sided faces i might need to examine mine but in a sense my right side my face was the stronger side so if it has dropped it might make me alittle prettier :P

to Sidabra and nikkig
I pretty sure sidabra was talking about massaging your face and such to work on your muscles in your face
I agree the day after my numbness starting i was rubing my face to try help to flow run better
and you might look strange doing it but every day I do exercise with my face like like frowning my numb side opening my mouth to strech the lips .. well its hard to explian but i hope it made alittle sense
I hope you get your expressions back :)

I will stay updated until I am healed best luck all

[4smilesgalore]

WOW! This IS a long running thread. I looked up long term effects of facial numbness do to a hunting accident that resulted in injury to my right eye and 4 stiches. My first hunting trip with my 2 brothers and my father. Rule #1 when shooting a rifle... Don't get your eye too close to the scope! BTW... I did get the 9 point buck I was aiming at, LoL.
The injury has left me with numbness spanning from the front of my right eyebrow across to my temple and the entire width back to the crown of my head. 4 x-rays were done at the hospital where I received my stiches and came back clear. I was told if feeling didn't come back within a week I should see a specialist. After reading this thread and some other articles it sounds to me that nerve damage could take a few weeks longer to repair itself. So I will wait a bit before deciding to make an appointment. Thank you to everyone who has posted their stories here. It's been a BIG help =)

[robbiebox]

i have been watching this thread for months but now want to share my story as things are not really improving.
5 months ago now some coward totally blind-sided me with a punch.i had a black eye and some swelling but didnt think too serious.but the next day my front-right 3 or 4 teeth were numb and my upper right lip was numb and felt like i was wearing a gumshield . on going to the dentist they thought i had a fractured cheekbone so i went to hospital but they said they couldnt see an obvious fracture. the numbness has improved as the nerves grew back and my lip is a lot better , the feeling has come back in my teeth without them feeling totally back to normal  BUT up in the infraorbital area my cheek still feels bruised inside and this isnt really improving , it feels like i have a type of frenulum adjoining where that area was damaged and it can feel cold up there when drinking water etc .
5 months seems a long time for this to heal and i think i should go back but last time the max-fax people were a bit dismissive as there is no external evidence of anything wrong :-(

[sammy1911]

hi, was just hoping for some advice last sunday i fell and banged my tooth on the path i cut my lip a touch too,i didnt crack or chip the tooth it looks te same as it did before i fell,just am not very good with anything like this more sore when it involes teeth and mouth its easying up slowly but at the back top of the tooth and the gum its tender was just wondering if this is just bruised and will go or if i done any damage,i go to dentist when i need to but with it being my front teeth i more scared so havent been.hope someone can help.

[nikkig254]

It's been 7 weeks now and still my face is the same! I have been massaging my cheek where it's still numb like sidabra has told me to do but so far nothing has changed! I will continue to massage and flex it to try to help the healing but I think I'm just going to face the fact that my face will never be the same! If there is any changes I will keep everyone informed!!! I just want to say thanks to everyone that has posted, It's just nice to know I'm not alone!!!!

[JoeMaire]

I want to thank everyone who took the time to post about their experiences with facial injury numbness.
I injured my face two weeks ago playing ball....no depth perception :-(

The swelling is mostly gone. I have the classic numbness on the left side of my face...and some tingles and some itching.
The black eye is mostly gone.
But, I still have discoloration on the cheek...thankfully I can cover it with makeup.

Wondering if anyone is taking any vitamins and herbs for the numbness.
Which ones and how much????

Will try to keep updates as the numbness retreats.

[deadeye173]

Similar issues as most of you above, numbness post incident 2 months ago, pretty much all facial numbness cleared, I have a lump on my eye lower socket, and some numbness in the upper left teeth.. must be some sort of damage on the eye socket, will likely go for a an x-ray there, not had any medical attention as yet.

Itching, as mentioned, is part of the heal process, so it is a good sign, and I had a phase of that.

One thing I read...somewhere, heat is good for the nerve reparation process, so if you are still ice packing to resolve the lack of feeling...stop. I hopped on a sunbed for a 2 or 3 5 min sessions, over a week-10 days, seemed to have a positive effect so far as nerve repairs go...good luck all!!

[mckinneykev]

I am a little league ball coach, and while I was catching (without a mask!!) I was a hit in the face by a baseball that was traveling about 40 mph.  As soon as it happened, i was very disoriented (from a concussion) and I noticed that I could not feel my upper teeth on the right side and my face was starting to really swell.  Because it happened on a Thursday, I went to my Family Doctor on Friday morning and he took some x-rays of my face and there was significant bleeding in my sinus cavity.  (This blood was because of a broken cheek bone) The doctor asked if I had double-vision and checked to see if I could hear and smell and feel my face.  I told him that the only symptoms I had was that I could not feel my teeth and it tingled a little above my lip and to the right of my nose, but other than that I was cool.  He referred me to an ENT doctor so she could determine how bad the break was and if I needed facial reconstruction.  She did a CT Scan, and looked at all the bones in my face and she determined that since it did not break the bones near my nose or on the outside of my face, and it did not fracture upward and affect my eye muscles and socket bones, I did not need facial reconstruction surgery.  I had a couple of return visits to make sure because if if is a bad break, it is impossible to fix it once the bones are set.  So in short, I was very lucky!!!  She said that only about 3% of the cases are the same as mine was, so get yourself checked!!!  Anyway the ENT and the Radiologist said the numbness was caused by two things: nerve damage (there is a nerve that runs about a finger's with of distance from the side of your nostril and my nerve was directly hit by the ball), and the blood from the broken sinus cavity dulled my sense of feeling.   As soon as the bones healed in my face, which took about 2 months, the numbness was hardly noticable.  Now it has been about 3 months, and I still have not 100% recovered, but it is getting better, but it is subtle improvements. I still wake up some mornings and I feel some numbness in my face and teeth, but as the day progresses, it goes away and really I don't notice it.  I think that over the next few months I will be back to normal (like 100%), but if not it is something that I can live with and will not affect my quality of life.  One last thing...  The ENT instructed me to do the following for 3 weeks...  Do not to eat anything chewy or hard (like steak, candy, or gum).  Also don't put any pressure on your face (or use light pressure anyway).  Use heat and ice and take plenty of advil, tylonol, or aleve to keep down the swelling.  Don't blow your nose, and lastly sleep on your back - not on your side (and definitely not your stomach!!).  

[sarahegarcia]

Thanks for all the posts. My mother in law's sister fell down a 3-step stair face first. She cut her eyebrow area and had 5 stitches. Now half of her face all the way to her head is numb. The doctor prescribed some vitamin B complex. We're a bit worried because she's already 76. Xrays show that there are no fractures but should she get second opinion?

[Tennis22]

I was hit pretty hard by a tennis ball on my cheek near my right side of my nose.  I have a bruise on my cheek bone but nothing significant and some swelling in my sinuses and along the right side of my nose.  The numbness I feel goes from the inside corner of my eye down to my lip.  I agree with all the posters that it is very annoying.  It happened 4 days ago.  I have the tingling sensations and some sharp, quick pain in my upper lip when moving my mouth.  Hopefully that means the nerve is trying to repair itself.  I worry though because about 10 years ago I had surgery in my lower abdomen and still don't have feeling in some areas.

[jimmywoo]

8 and a half months now,,no change since last comment..i will give it a year n bit then maybe see about getting the plates taken out....swelling still the same,.........it could be them causing it ,i dont know.

[jen878]

I fell and hit my cheek over Christmas, the fall was pretty bad and I instantly got huge swelling on the cheek area. I decided to leave it and the next day I had bleeding in the eye, a black eye and numbness down this side of my nose, teeth and lip. After 3 days i decided to go to the hospital and they confirmed i had 2 breaks in the Orbit and I had smashed the sinus in. I had surgery the next morning as they said that the eye is not supported properly when the orbit/cheek bone is broken so it is best to get this checked out asap. It is 3 weeks on now and I have slightly less numbness in my lip but still can't feel the side of my nose or some teeth. The doctor told me there are 3 nerves serving the side of the face and one of these nerves serves the nose, lip and teeth area. he also said that it could take a year to get the feeling back or it may never return if the nerves are too badly crushed. I live in France had the best surgeon but there is nothing anyone can do to repair the nerves if they are to badly damaged, just have to learn to live with it!

[jules6o]

I was hit multiple times on the right side of my face.......my eye was closed for 4 days...my eyeball looked black......pain behind my eye all the time,looking up or down aches and is blurry,I have no sense of smell in my right nostril or any feeling,my right ear also feels partially blocked.....and I have every other numb symptom......this was 10 days ago.......feel sick as well......havent been to Drs yet cos I was too black and blue....I have been on 3 courses of keflex antibiotics for a bad sinus infection before the attack.....and finished with a course of doryx, yesterday......the pain and blurriness seems to be worse again....help.....

[JoeMaire]

WOW, I'd see a doctor, I would hate to see you lose that eye !!!!

[JoeMaire]

Well, it's about 5-6 weeks since the injury.  Bruising is all gone.  Most of the swelling is gone. I think the area of numbness is abating.

Still have some swelling that impacts by bite.

Applying heat to the area daily, seems to help a lot.

[gloworm269]

I fell on my face on the sidewalk on Labor Day, 2010, fracturing my right cheek-bone. I had reconstructive surgery the next week, which caused a droop in my lower right eyelid, which was repaired surgically in February, 2011. From the beginning I had little pain but numbness and weird sensations along my lower right eyelid, down along the area next to my nose, and across my upper lip. The doctors all said this could take up to a year-and-a-half to go away, but that it should eventually. In two months it will be a year-and-a-half, and nothing has changed with the nerves since a few weeks after the surgery, so I'm beginning to think this may be permanent. Fortunately, I'm not in any pain and have learned to live with my face feeling different. I'm a singer, but the effects on my singing have been minimal, which is a blessing. I've tried various self-remedies such as massage and blasts of hot water in the shower -- which at least feels good -- but nothing seems to make the slightest bit of difference. The big issue for me now is when to stop experimenting and just forget about getting better -- sort of like when do you decide someone who's been declared missing is actually dead. It's not that bad, just annoying, and I've been through various stages of grief over it -- I still want my old face back and feel sad when I think about how it used to be. I haven't quite given up hope -- several friends of mine had numbness from oral surgery that didn't go away for over a year -- but I think I have to assume this is me from now on. Meanwhile, I'm working on a memoir about my accident and appreciate the perspective this group has given me. (Of course, I won't quote anyone directly or violate confidentiality and who knows if it will be published anyway.)  

[NiagaraGrl]

I had a similar injury. I broke my cheekbone, which punctured my sinus. My sinus then filled with blood and when I blew my nose my entire eye socket filled with blood. That's what triggered me to go to the hospital. I also broke my upper right jaw, and my orbital in 3 places. I had reconstructive surgery 5 days after the accident, where the doctor used titanium to repair the bone structure in my face. It has been 3 weeks since the surgery. I still have some numbness, but not like it was. It originally felt like I had just left the dentist, now it just feels slightly numb. No pain. Also originally I was unable to use the muscles in my face to smile on the right side and now I can, although it's not perfect, I'm hoping it gets better. Hope this helps.

[Michael32]

It's been about four months since this happened to me; and finally, all the feeling is back. Actually, all the feeling came back about three and a half months later. However, I still have a tingly line that runs down the cheek and through the lip; and, my teeth feel mostly normal but still feel like the nerve isn't quite done healing.
On that note, I'll give you a little more detail about the condition I was in. Within a couple of days, a hematoma had developed in my eye--covering half the eye. It was extremely hard to chew anything--feeling like my eye would explode or pop out of the socket with every little attempt. After the swelling went down, I could feel that my cheek was cracked all the way from the lower part of the eye socket, down through the front part of the cheek  bone, and into my upper gums.

[purrinkitten99]

Hello, what a great thread! I have search the net a few times on this subject with little help or information on it. I had an incident happen Jan 2 of this year. Post new year celebrations I suppose, but was kidding around with a friend wrestling and took a knee to the face. Immediate pain, but I guess the few bevs we had consumed helped ease that! :) The following morning was a different story with the swelling to the right side of my face and black/purple eye. It took about 3 weeks for the black eye to disappear. It went through a rainbow of colours over that time. I wore an eye patch for the first two weeks because people would gasp when they saw me and stare. While my cheek bone was swollen it was not really uncomfortable unless I yawned, smiled or laughed. I didnt really think much of it till the 3rd week when a smaller bump started to swell up, it formed a pocket and turn white and when I touched it it opened a small pin hole and oozed (sorry kinda gross) white pus stuff.  I continued to drain that over a couple of days. Obviously it was infected.  I probably should have sought medical attention but figured it would heal in a few more days.  I am in week 6 right now and still have a puff lump that looks like it is filled with fluid and a looney (canadian dollar) size bump to the cheek. I see improvement daily but have experienced as many have mentioned the numb feeling and when I sleep on that side which seems to worsen by morning so I try to avoid doing that. I have the tingle and pain shooting feelings as well and going out in the cold does feel like dentist freezing to it. And sometimes my eye waters randomly or twitches.  A week ago I started taking vitamin C, and the odd ibuprofen for discomfort.  I can not recommend for sure that the vitamins help, but I do feel it is getting better everyday. I am hoping it is not a lifelong thing and goes away soon. The thought to put warm compress is great! Thank you, I am going to try that tonight and see if it does anything. I am usually a fast healer this has been very frustrating. Again thanks for having this posting!  :)

[Awolowa]

Apparently it takes 3 to 6 months for damaged nerves to restore. So it takes time. I received a accidental knee to the eye/cheek while doing some grappling. It all seemed very minor with a black eye lasting 3 days, however, the odd numbness that accompanied the hit persisted and got morse even... corresponding exactly to what a maxillary nerve would sense.

Anyway... then the "attacks" started. For now it's about every 12 or 24 hours and lasts about 45minutes. The most bizzare and foresaken godless pain ever. Someone told me it sounded awfully like the "suicide disease" called _trigeminal neuralgia_  -- and other than pills or surgery, I don't know what use a doctor could be. So for now... it's just waiting and hoping my body can regenerate.

[richmills]

same situation for me, i was punched when i wasnt looking recieved a fractured orbital and nose fracture, its been 3 weeks most of the numbness is gone except for a little bit on my left upper lip and a bit of my left cheek, my smile is a little bit unsymmetrical. Will this numbness/tightness i feel in my face go away? i am a big lacrosse player and every day im not playing and lifting counts. when can i return to playing lacrosse again, wearing a protective helmet of course and return to lifting. is it possible either will affect the nerve healing in my face. please help

[robbiebox]

last posted 4 months ago , been almost 9 months now since was punched from the blind side , the original numbness etc went but even now about 3 of my upper front right teeth feel differently without being loose and if i press on the area if the infra orbital nerve which was damaged it feels bruised inside compared to the other side of my face , i was originally discharged from max fax so went back to docs for a referral and they convinced me to give it longer  , it prob wont change now and i can live one side of my face/mouth not feeling the same but its also a reminder of what happened and makes it difficult to forget . ill try and go back to hospital one last time , maybe just to hear it will definitely get better in time or it wont :-(

[Drooler]

It has been one week since my face went numb, due to injury. It is the exact same area as the picture that amoebaSIX originally posted. It is so nice to see people recovering. I will post updates on my progress.

[Drooler]

It has been 3 weeks since the injury. The numbness is seeming to go away right under the center of my nose. Overall I am very numb and I have gotten used to it. The bruise went away in the middle of last week and the blood stain on my eye is nearly gone. Occasionally my face starts itching like crazy. I believe this is a good sign.

[Kathlene2]

I just had my accident two days ago. Dirt motorcycle. I am off to the urgent care this afternoon. Will keep everyone posted. Thanks to all who kept updating their story. It is greatly appreciated.

[Drooler]

It's been about a month since my last post and two months since the injury. I can now feel my entire lip. My gums still feel a bit numb. It seems that the numbest spot is in the center of the original numb spot, but it is not very numb. I am completely confident that I will make a full recovery! :) I can tell that I still have at least another month or two until it completely resolves.

[Dishuan]

I got punched n my face.....(sad to say)...but first my right side swelled up..now I only feel this string like feeling with my tounge and on the outside when I touch my face with my finger. Feels like a nerve I just don't know. It's the size of my dimple..but my face looks messed up when I smile...it's been about a month and a few weeks but thats whats bothering me....i don't know what to do....

[BRBethieBoo]

One week ago tomorrow I fell in the bathroom and hit my head/face.  Since that time I have had the right side of my face numb, including right side of nose, right cheek, right side of upper lip, 3 teeth totally numb, and when I squeeze my right eye shut I get a sharp shooting pain in my nose.  My right eye also seems to cry/shed tears.  I also feel like my nose is running in my right nostril.  I had some blood in mucus from sniffing in then spitting out, but this is mostly gone now.  I have not seen a doctor as of yet, as I just returned from being out of town, which is where I fell.  Based on reading experiences on this forum, these symptoms appear "normal" and will require time to heal.  Should I just wait it out or should I see a doctor?  Anything else that I should be doing to help speed up the healing process?  Thanks for any feedback you might have!

[nickalvar]

to anyone out there i poster comments on other people post. i dont know how to use this site.

keep it short.

i had this problem with weakess and i found a great chiro that put my rib back in place. my tos was fixed.

1 hour for 35 dollars. in chicago. hes the best. i cried when he fixed it. my weakness is gone

[BRBethieBoo]

Also to note:  I can feel hot versus cold and I can feel pricks to my skin.

[Numbface666]

I got hit the the nose about four days ago. It is numb in the same area as mentioned above. Side of my nose, inside my nostril, kind of on my cheek, and half of my top lip. A lot of times in the last two days it tingles, and especially when I wake in the morning, it tingles and burns. Is this a good sign? I have a big event I'm going to in about 45 days, do you think it will be gone by then? Some of the feeling HAS come back already.

[Numbface666]

Well the numbness lets up a little and then comes back fully. I don't have insurance or a whole lot of money, so I guess I'm screwed.

[tkrules]

I fell off my bike, had a mild concussion, and my face is numb as well (right cheek, nose, front teeth, top lip). It was quite numb initially but I am doing better after nearly a month. I get tingling sensations. I also get this itchy feeling, however, when I try to scratch where it is numb, I cannot seem to make the itch go away. But I believe these are all good signs. I think the best we can do is just wait and try not to think about it too much. Maybe another few months.

[bullion23]

four days ago i was at a BBQ a the beach having a great time, then got the urge to play two hand tag football with some guys that was out there, anyway was going up for a pass and me and this other guy slamed into each other face to face i played football in college but this had the be the most painful thing i have ever felt in my life was on the ground holding my face because i thought my eye and cheek would fall off, after about 30 sec the pain started to come down only a couple of drops of blood came out of the left side of my nose i blow my nose and that was it for the blood, just a lil dizzy for a couple of sec then that all went away since i played football in school i knew i didnt have a concussion,  but i did notice that my left cheek, left side of my nose, gums and lips was numb, was thinking hit was from the hit and would go away, i went on about my day having a great time but the other day i was still numb i tried to rub my left eye and my lips was tingling, so i went into the ER they seen me pretty quick after i told them what happen , oh and my moms work ther also. lol the doctor said that i could have a x-ray but she did not see a need for one because i did not have any redness, swelling, or pain around the area, she said she could give me some meds that can help the heal the nerve but it will still take 3 months and the meds will make me really sleepy WILL NOT BE TAKING THOSE MEDS i just want to feel my face1!!!!

[Bennymac]

Six days ago...last Saturday night in fact after confronting a group of guys who made a racist comment to a friend of mine, and no doubt indignantly slurring my words as I did so:-), I was punched pretty hard in the face.
I woke the next day with a shiner in my left eye and all the above symptoms, ie: left cheek and side of nose and upper left lip were all numb including left front teeth.
I am encouraged that after seeing a dentist he told me the tingling sensation in the left cheek, upper lip and side of nose means hopefully the damaged nerve will repair itself but could take a while.
Most people seem to be saying a couple months. It's just such a weird sensation.
Good luck, fellow patients. Let's hope in a few months we can all look back on this experience as one of life's funny twists, eh:-)

[Kathlene2]

Returned to update. It's been 5 months since injury. It took twe months before any healing started. Then the area of numbness began to shrink. The only area that remains is a small area of my upper lip to  the soft part of the nostril.  On occasion I do get a quick sharp pain in my gum area. I still feel at times that my nose is running when it is not.  My injury included a couple of small fractures in the sinus area and now I have a very minor but annoying issues. I would massage my numb area often and feel that has helped in the returning of sensation..

[cindyge]

Its been sixteen months since I feel and broke my face and compressed the facial nerves.  So far no change by gge end of the night my eye feels like ice and my lip throbs.  They never did any tests. When I close my eyes it feels like my face tightens.  

[Cariemp]

Hi, I'm glad to have found this thread. It's been two weeks since I was hit with a rock in the face. It broke my left cheek bone and damaged my lower left optic and sinus. (If this happened to you Do Not Blow Your Nose! It will make you eye swell up.) A week after leaving the emergency room I followed up with my ENT and had my stitches out. Since then, the swelling has gone down almost completely. However, my face is mostly numb on the left side from under my left eye down to my upper lip and the left side of my nose, my teeth have felt really strange on the left side . The past few days I've felt a tingling, almost burning sensation in the numb area. Also, some sharp/shooting pains and "wooshing" feeling when I move my head around a lot. My ENT did not seem overly concerned about the numbness so I'm just going to wait it out and see how it progresses in the next week. Good luck to you all!

[Cariemp]

Update....It's been a week since my last post. That makes 3 weeks since I had my accident and my face went numb. There hasn't been a whole change since last week. The swelling around my eye has gone down almost completely and the blood in it is almost all gone. Everything still feels numb from under my left eye down to the left side of my lip. I think I may have gotten more feeling back in the left side of my nose though. Also, having a lot of weird sensations in the numb side of the face. Sometimes I feel like there is a drop of water running down it and I reach up to wipe it away but nothing is there. It's so weird. I call it 'phantom tears.' My teeth on the left side feel a bit more normal although it still feels strange to chew on that side and a few times when I have it caused shooting pain in my upper gum and teeth. Starting tonight I've been having a little bit of a burning sensation in the numb part of my upper lip. I am hoping this is a good sign that the nerves are coming back to life. My smile looks weird right now and when I talk that side of my mouth just hangs there. Good luck everyone, and I wish you all super speedy recovery. I'm going to keep updating each week because it helps me to document the changes.  

[robbiebox]

17 months now since took a blind sided punch , that area still not gone back to normal , three teeth are no longer numb but dont feel that strong and if i grind them side to side i can feel it in the infraorbital area , it comes and goes and with some cold maybe getting into that area it flares up a bit more than at other times , guess i ll just have to accept it now , i can live with it but firstly it means i dont forget the incident and also i always wonder if its triggered off anything else (maybe i should have some kind of scan done)

[Cariemp]

Update time. Another 2 weeks since my last post, (that makes 5 weeks) since I was hit in the face with a rock and lost feeling in the left side of my face. There hasn't been a whole lot of noticeable change in the numbness. My teeth feel a bit less numb the last few days. It sometime hurts to chew on that side. My left upper lip is still pretty numb and makes it difficult to drink from a cup sometimes. The numbness that had taken over most of the left side of my nose definitely seams to have shrunk a bit. No changes as far as I can tell with the numbness underneath my eye. I guess this is going to take a lot longer to heal then I originally thought but I am still hopeful for a full recovery. If I don't notice much improvement in the time till after New Year I'm going to call my ENT and have another check up.  

[xrav82]

I have overlooked complex minor zygomatic fracture.. 3 years ago

One of the maxillofacial surgeon told me that probably (he saw infraorbital canal on CT) I have almost completly cut infraorbital nerve...hmm

so, how the hell can I have 80-90% of normal feeling ?

He told me that new connections to the neighbouring nerves have been created in the skin

is this could be true ?

my feeling is about 10-20% better since the trauma
so it seems like almost completly damaged nerve functions in 60%

very strange..I don't know what to think

I'm looking for some surgeons to perform some decompression, despite there is no gurantee for any further recover

Has anyone tried to do something after few years ? any surgery? cortisol injections ? microsurgical reconstruction ?  removing tissue scare ?

[xrav82]

someone wrote down here, that If tingling presents, that means the nerve is still recovering...

but tingling itself ? ...I mean with or without touching ?

I have tingling and itching and little pain only when I touch skin

[xrav82]

I have overlooked complex minor zygomatic fracture.. 3 years ago

One of the maxillofacial surgeon told me that probably (he saw infraorbital canal on CT) I have almost completly cut infraorbital nerve...hmm

so, how the hell can I have 80-90% of normal feeling ?

He told me that new connections to the neighbouring nerves have been created in the skin

is this could be true ?

my feeling is about 10-20% better since the trauma
so it seems like almost completly damaged nerve functions in 60%

very strange..I don't know what to think

I'm looking for some surgeons to perform some decompression, despite there is no gurantee for any further recover

Has anyone tried to do something after few years ? any surgery? cortisol injections ? microsurgical reconstruction ?  removing tissue scare ?
but tingling itself ? ...I mean with or without touching ?

I have tingling and itching and little pain only when I touch skin

[purrinkitten99]

It has been a year Jan and I still have the exact same symptoms as what I started with. It is winter here in Canada and the cold weather seems to annoy the area more.

[DMX11820]

Hi all,

For nerve regeneration and healing, I came across this very informative link that explains different categories of nerve damage and expected healing processes.

http://www.healthhype.com/nerve-injury-neuropraxia-axonotmesis-neurotmesis-and-healing.html

http://www.healthhype.com/nerve-injury-neuropraxia-axonotmesis-neurotmesis-and-healing.html

[Nomorescooter]

Hi

Had a motorcycle accident last month with multiple injuries. I had multiple lacerations on the bottom left of my face that were closed by surgery a month ago. The area near my scars are still swollen, completely numb and the muscle is not working. As it is located near my mouth I have difficulties to eat and drink and can't open the mouth in full.
The surgeon told me that most of the nerves were visible during the surgery and were even tested (?). I do not feel heat or cold in this part of my face and see no sign of progress since a month: still swollen and numb.
I do hope that the swollen will diminish and the muscle come back at one point.
Anyone else had this experience ?

[Flossie12]

I was rear ended in a car accident on Dec 14th.  I did not hit my head or face but my shoulder belt grabbed me pretty hard.  My tongue starting becoming numb before ems arrived and in the er the numbness continued into the right side of my face and over to my eye area.  I can feel when  I touch the area but it feels like a mild novacaine shot.  Like someone else I read about I could feel the pin pricks on my face but the inside of that side of my face feels "dead".   The numbness has continued daily since with intermitant jaw pain as well on a daily basis.  I have seen a neurlogists, a dentist, an oral surgeon, chiropractor for cranial sacral therapy, and had facial and mouth massage ...nothing has helped.   Not even the meds.  I have had x-rays, dental x-rays, a cat scan on my brain, and an mri on my brain and brain stem....nothing found.  I was wondering if a bulging disc or pinched spinal nerve could cause the facial numbness.  I am going to try accupuncture but wondered if anyone else could shed some light on this for me.

[Flossie12]

I was rear ended in a car accident on Dec 14th.  I did not hit my head or face but my shoulder belt grabbed me pretty hard.  My tongue starting becoming numb before ems arrived and in the er the numbness continued into the right side of my face and over to my eye area.  I can feel when  I touch the area but it feels like a mild novacaine shot.  Like someone else I read about I could feel the pin pricks on my face but the inside of that side of my face feels "dead".   The numbness has continued daily since with intermitant jaw pain as well on a daily basis.  I have seen a neurlogists, a dentist, an oral surgeon, chiropractor for cranial sacral therapy, and had facial and mouth massage ...nothing has helped.   Not even the meds.  I have had x-rays, dental x-rays, a cat scan on my brain, and an mri on my brain and brain stem....nothing found.  I was wondering if a bulging disc or pinched spinal nerve could cause the facial numbness.  I am going to try accupuncture but wondered if anyone else could shed some light on this for me.

[kpb3rd]

To give a progress report and hope to those newly injured:

I had a snowboarding accident 4 weeks ago, causing multiple cheekbone fractures. I had complete numbness on the right side of the nose, right upper lip, upper right cheek, and the right side of my gums. The doctor said I may never regain the feeling again.. but here I am a month after the accident and now I can feel everything except the edge of my lip and tip of my nose, which I expect will improve in a couple weeks. The recovery came suddenly- 2 weeks after the accident, I was still completely numb, worried that it will take a couple months to make progress. I then started to notice I could feel more of my cheek and nose, and one day I woke up and my mouth felt differently and I realized I can feel my gums again haha. So don't give up hope, recovery is delayed but then it comes back quickly. I also have a routine of drinking 3+ gallons of milk a week, so I'm sure that had a factor in the bones repairing quicker.

[xrav82]

make sure there is no compression on the nerve.. afterr trauma cheek I used to have 75% of normal feeling and now is 90% ...not 100% because of the compression - overlooked minor fracture :(  this nerve has grat ability to recover but when THERE IS NO COMPRESSION....I'm kind of man who cannot handle any itching or pain on my face skin - yes i'm ***** :) - and I'm going to have a great fight with this nerve.. Doctors say ..no chance for any further recover after decompression..but sometinh very deeply inside of me..tells me...man do it...take a risk, and do it..decompression - not easy surgery and then stimulating the nerve

[xrav82]

make MRIs

[xrav82]

your feeling is 100% or just u feel anything

[kpb3rd]

My feeling is now 100% for everything except the edge of my upper lip is like 80%, but its getting better.

[xrav82]

you are lucky. I had about 80% of normal feeling after trauma, now 90% but . It could reach 100% but my fracture was ovelooked :( however this little numbness is so annoying to me, that it makes me crazy. therapy didn't help, antidepressants didn't help.. i'm totally depressed. why they overlooked my fracture :(((  this is now irreversible..too many years

[xrav82]

I mean i have chronic compression of the nerve...its minor compression, but doctors said..decompression won;t help after so many time