First, I am not a doctor so take my post for what it is and maybe of little value.

I am a former competitive lifter and a bout of Bell's Palsy about 1997. I continued with strength training during this time. My doctor never said anything against any form of training. Fortunately, it began to clear up the second week anyway so this was probably not long enough to say whether strength training had any impact one way or the other. Other than people at the gym and in life asking me annoying questions and being a bit embarrassed, I felt pretty good overall during training.

I hope it begins to clear up for you soon.

Sorry to hear about the palsy, not very pleasant.
I am a doctor but not a neurologist so can only give you broader thoughts. I cannot see a reason why you cannot strength train as long as you follow the usual basic precautions for Bells Palsy (ie eye protection if you cannot close it properly etc). I am trying to think of what could happen from a pathophysiological perspective to worsen your palsy or slow down recovery and I cannot come up with anything rational (but as always might be some odd reason why it might not be recommended!).

As Bell’s palsy tends to be viral in nature, there isn’t much to do other than allow for proper recovery. In some instances SLP can help. Regarding the strength training question- be aware of training loads that create increased stress that can delay a healing process. Fatigue levels are likely important. The same way you might recover from GI virus, don’t overdo it.

Not an answer to your question, but I know of several anecdotal cases of Bell's Palsy resolving well with "cold laser" therapy (multiple times daily on the affected side, generally following the path of the 7th cranial nerve). I hope your recovery goes well.

Thanks guys!

I once had bells palsey, I would question why you have it. And maybe you should just let your body rest until the virus clears

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Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
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