An interventional study of Conventional Facial Therapy and Kabat Rehabilitation in Bell's Palsy and Facial Paralysis, sponsored by University of Lahore. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-27.
Sponsored by University of Lahore · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of Kabat rehabilitation versus kinesiology taping, both combined with conventional therapy, on facial asymmetry and functional disability in patients with unilateral Bell's palsy. A total of 38 participants will be recruited from the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned into two groups using a lottery method. Outcomes will be assessed using the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System and the Facial Disability Index at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.
This single-blinded randomized clinical trial will be conducted at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, Lahore. Participants aged 30-50 years diagnosed with unilateral Bell's palsy will be recruited using purposive sampling. After obtaining informed consent, 38 eligible participants will be randomly allocated into two parallel groups using the lottery method.
Group A will receive conventional therapy (facial massage and electrical muscle stimulation) combined with Kabat rehabilitation using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques.
Group B will receive conventional therapy combined with kinesiology taping applied according to a standardized protocol targeting affected facial muscles.
Treatment will be administered for 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 40 minutes. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, at 4 weeks, and at 8 weeks. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 27.0.
85 studies on the registry are indexed under Bell Palsy; 30 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 38 is close to the median of 42 across 70 interventional studies indexed under Bell Palsy.
Browse Bell Palsy studies →University of Lahore is the lead sponsor of 232 studies on the registry; 41 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Age between 30-50 years Both genders Unilateral Bell's palsy House-Brackmann grade greater than 3 Sufficient physical and mental ability to follow instructions
Exclusion Criteria:
Facial skin lesions or for procedures Cranial or facial trauma within past 3 months Prior episodes of facial paralysis Craniofacial deformities or degenerative diseases Head and neck Active infection History of upper motor neuron lesion
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive conventional therapy (massage and EMS) combined with Kabat rehabilitation (PNF techniques) for 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week.
Other: Kabat Rehabilitation
Participants will receive conventional therapy combined with kinesiology taping for 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week.
Other: Conventional Facial Therapy
Conventional therapy will consist of facial massage and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). Massage techniques will include light stroking, tapping, and kneading of affected facial muscles for approximately 5 minutes. Electrical muscle stimulation will be delivered using interrupted galvanic current with a pulse width of 150 μs, frequency of 1-10 Hz, and intensity of 2-5 mA for 15 minutes. Small surface electrodes will be placed on key facial muscles including frontalis, zygomaticus major, orbicularis oris, and mentalis. Total duration of conventional therapy will be approximately 20 minutes per session.
Also known as: Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Facial Massage
Kabat rehabilitation will be administered using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques. Manual resistance will be applied to stimulate contraction of affected facial muscles through three fulcrum points (upper, intermediate, and lower). Each muscle group (frontalis, corrugator supercilii, orbicularis oculi, procerus, orbicularis oris, and mentalis) will perform 10 repetitions for 2 sets. The Kabat component will last approximately 20 minutes per session. Treatment will be provided 5 sessions per week for 8 weeks.
Also known as: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
Facial Asymmetry (Sunnybrook Facial Grading System)
Scores range from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better facial symmetry.
Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks
Functional Disability (Facial Disability Index - FDI)
Assesses physical and social well-being related to facial function. Higher scores indicate better function.
Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared because this study was conducted as an academic research project. The informed consent obtained from participants did not include provisions for public data sharing, and the dataset contains sensitive personal health information. Data will be stored securely and
Started Dec 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2026, 3 months after the start.
Of 38 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Bell Palsy, half reached primary completion within 9 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 25. This study's planned 3 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 40 studies reached it within 10 months; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 21.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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