Neuro-Proprioceptive Rehabilitation (NPR) in the clinic
This Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome recovery program in the clinic will consist of the following modules. Click on each to find out more details.
Part 1: Video consultation with Bell's palsy expert - Dr. Alex Pashov
As the first step, you will have a video consultation with our specialist, Alex Pashov. The purpose of the consultation is to help you understand your condition, answer any of your questions, and explain your realistic recovery prognosis with and without rehabilitation programs.
We will also go over all possible recovery programs in our clinic, and based on your condition and possibilities we will determine whether the recovery program in the clinic is the best option for you.
The video consultation lasts about 40 min and costs €145.
If you live close to the clinic, you can also visit us for your initial consultation instead of meeting online. If you visit us for consultation in the clinic, we will also perform quantitative measures of your facial nerve recovery level. Such in-clinic diagnostic session lasts about 1 h 30 min and costs €250. The advantage is that when you will return for your working sessions, you can start directly with the treatments, and you will not need to pay for the measurements and diagnostics again.
At the end of the call or your visit to the clinic, when you make the final decision to continue with the program, we will forward your details to our planning department. Within one working week, you will receive the suggested dates and times for your first six online sessions.
Part 2: First visit and the first working sessions
In total, the full recovery program consists of 4-6 visits to Rotterdam with an interval of 10-12 weeks between visits.
Each visit will take approximately 5 days including the arrival and departure days. During each visit, the patient will have 3 working sessions in the clinic, one per day.
For your first visit, you will need to stay in Rotterdam for at least 5 days: 3 days for daily treatments, 1 for arrival, and 1 for departure. We recommend avoiding travel on treatment days to stay relaxed and stress-free for the best results.
The very first session in the clinic, together with measurements, will last around 3 hours. During that session, Dr. Pashov will perform the Nerve Conduction Study (extended protocol) and Synkinetic Correlation Test. After the measurements, we will begin with the first working session.
During each working session, you will receive a Crystal Touch Bell’s palsy treatment designed to improve facial symmetry, relax muscles, and help your brain “recall” normal symmetrical facial movements. The treatment is non-invasive, relaxing, and mostly done by hand. These treatments enhance nerve conductivity and muscle sensitivity, improving your perception of facial movements and facial condition. One working session with the Bell’s palsy treatment lasts 1.5-2 hours.
Each working session costs €375. So for each visit, the total is €1,125 (3 sessions). The very first session during the first visit only will include additional cost of €185 for the initial diagnostics and measurements. This additional diagnostic session lasts about 1 hour.
You will pay “as you go” at the clinic during each visit. There is no need to pay upfront for the whole program. Travel and accommodation costs are not included in this price.
Part 3: Individual work at home in-between visits
During each visit, you will work with your therapist to learn rehabilitation techniques to practice at home.
These include mental and emotional training, relaxation, focused attention on facial areas, ideomotoric exercises (visualization), and manual techniques.
On your first visit, you will receive a “Crystal Touch Passport,” a booklet for storing illustrations of techniques and homework printouts you will receive after each session.
During the 10-12 weeks of interval between visits to the clinic, you will be doing the homework daily. You will need to do it twice a day for 15-20 minutes.
Work at home is a critical part of the whole NPR recovery program, as it teaches you specific techniques to manage your condition on your own in the long-term. Also, the success and extent of your rehabilitation depends directly on your work at home. This is where you will see the most progress.
We are here to guide you and tech you the required techniques, but it is your work at home that leads to the best results.
To help you stay motivated and to keep track of your progress, you will stay in communication with Crystal Touch specialists throughout the 10-12 weeks. Through email, your treating specialist will stay in touch with you, will keep track of your homework, answer any questions and ensure you stay on track.
Part 4: Routine working sessions in the clinic
You will visit the clinic 4-6 times throughout your program, each with 3 sessions. That is a total of 12 sessions if you visit 4 times. With a 10-12 week gap between visits, the full rehabilitation program will take 44-52 weeks (around 1 year). This timeline ensures the best results, as rehabilitation requires time.
The total number of visits needed will depend on your condition at the start of the rehabilitation program, your progress with the work at home and your body’s recovery potential. Which is why daily work at home is critical for the fastest results.
While we will recommend the number of total visits that may be optimal in your situation, you will be the one to decide when you are ready to stop with the visits. We will track your progress with quantitative tools, so we can see your progress objectively. When you see that your results are sufficient for you, you can decide to stop with the visits and complete your program.
Part 5 (optional): Online supporting sessions
To keep your rehabilitation on track and maintain motivation, we can schedule an online Support session halfway between the 10-12 week intervals each time.
During your Support sessions, you can ask all your questions, fine-tune your techniques and practice your homework together with your therapist. The duration of a Support session is 50 minutes, and it costs €185.
Our experience shows that having a Support session between visits helps sustain focus and motivation over the 10-12 week gap. Nonetheless, these sessions are not required, and depend on the preference and situation of each patient.
We usually plan the first 4 visits and Support sessions together. Planning one visit at a time is not feasible due to a tight schedule and waiting list, which could disrupt your progress. Of course, if necessary, we can amend your schedule later if needed.
Part 6: Work at home after completion of the full program
When you decide that you are satisfied with the achieved results, we will stop the rehabilitation program and congratulate you on the achieved progress.
After this point, any further improvements and maintenance will be, quite literally, in your own hands. Throughout the whole program, you will learn sufficient tools and techniques to maintain your recovery and to improve it further on your own.
Although you do not have to continue with your daily homework, you may find it useful do carry on. Your face will feel better after each working session at home. You can use the techniques you learned with us to support your face every time when it need help.
This will ensure long-lasting results and continued improvements.
We will always remain available for you to answer any questions, provide assistance, or to schedule additional online Supporting sessions if you will require them.
Important: We can only start the full rehabilitation program if at least 8 months or more have passed since the onset of your facial palsy. This is because your condition will naturally improve during active recovery in the first 8 months. We step in afterward, once recovery has plateaued and further assistance is needed.
Issues we address during the recovery program
Synkinesis
Asymmetric smile
Pains & tensions
Incomplete recovery
Excessive tears
Other issues
We actively work together to reduce manifestation of your synkinesis and make your facial expressions more balanced and symmetrical.
During your first visit to the clinic, we will instrumentally measure the level of your Synkinetic Correlation on your healthy and affected sides.
To get rid of synkinesis completely, although in theory possible, in practice will take disproportional amount of time and efforts. However, with systemic and consistent application of our method, you can achieve improvements in your facial expressions and reduction of synkinesis
In the course of your rehabilitation program, you will learn techniques that you will be able to use on your own to manage your synkinesis and continue on reducing its manifestation.
Advantages of completing the NPR program in the Clinic
The Clinic program focuses on achieving the highest possible result for your case. In-clinic measurements and special procedures enhance the rehabilitation process, while the routine visits help you to stay motivated and consistent.
Below some of the details included in the in-clinic NPR Bell’s palsy recovery program.
Instrumental measurements
Special procedures
Results
Complex cases
During your first visit to the clinic, or as part of your initial in-clinic consultation, we will perform two instrumental measurements.
These two tests will help us to assess the level of your facial nerve recovery on the affected side compared to the healthy side, and to measure the differences in mimetic patterns that your brain sends to the affected side compared to the healthy side.
The analysis of those differences will help you to better understand why you are having facial asymmetry at this stage of recovery, and also to better understand the principles that we use in composing your individually tailored rehabilitation program.
Such measurements we only make during your first visit and at the end of the rehabilitation program, so we can objectively measure the achieved progress in the quality of the facial nerve and the achieved improvements in mimetic patterns (symmetry of facial expressions).
Who is the NPR in the Clinic program for?
The program in the clinic is the best for long-term Bell’s palsy, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and other facial palsy sufferers who want to achieve the highest possible level of recovery in their particular case and are able to travel to the clinic.
The NPR program uses the Neuro-Proprioceptive Rehabilitation (NPR) method developed by our specialists to work with cases of peripheral facial palsy after 8 months or more since the onset.
This means that the method is applicable for those whose Bell’s palsy, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and other peripheral facial palsies that happened 1 year, 5 years, and even 30 or more years ago.
You need to be motivated and ready to work every day on your recovery in order to achieve positive results.
The program requires active involvement and will not bring results if you only rely on working sessions in the clinic and do not follow your work to be done at home in between visits to the clinic.
Indicator of level of self-motivation, expected results and financial investment needed compared to Hybrid and Online NPR programs:
Time since the onset:
8 months to 50 and more years
Self-motivation required:
Medium requirement, as the clinic helps you stay motivated.
Expected level of results*:
High to very high level of results that is possible for your particular case.
Financial investment:
Medium to high due to travel expenses that exceed costs of the treatment.
*The expected level of results depends on your particular case. This is a general indication of the average level of results.
Example timeline of NPR program in the clinic
Here is a general timeline for rehabilitation in the clinic. While this provides an overall structure, your actual program may differ slightly based on your individual needs and preferences. Everything will be tailored to you and discussed during the initial consultation.
What to expect after the completion of the program?
Each case of facial palsy, whether Bell’s palsy or Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, is unique and requires an individualized approach. As a result, the outcomes of the program will vary from person to person.
During the initial analysis and video consultation, we will explain what results you can expect from the full program based on your specific condition.
Our goal is to achieve a recovery that you are satisfied with. While 100% recovery is possible with the NPR method, reaching the last 10-15% of improvement can require a disproportionately large amount of time, effort, and resources.
After completing your NPR program you will have a set of tools and techniques that you will use to improve your recovery even after you complete the program.
During the working sessions, we teach you techniques that become your personal recovery toolkit. You will have everything you need to continue making progress and improve your recovery independently.
Even after completing the NPR program, we are always available to answer questions, offer support, and provide further guidance whenever needed.
From our patients
Here is what our patients that completed the NPR Facial Palsy Treatment in the clinic have to share:
I developed BP in 2019 and struggled with the after-effects of synkinesis (tightness, cramping, asymmetry, unwanted motion of facial muscles) ever since. I was told by doctors 11 months after the onset of BP that my face was “about 60% functional” and that it would never get any better.
I tried acupuncture and I also had several facial rehabilitation sessions with another therapist via Zoom, but when she suggested Botox, I balked.
Crystal Touch is not a quick-fix solution. It takes work. It is also an investment of time and money. I went in hopeful but skeptical. Hopeful, that the tightness and knotted muscles in my face would relax by even 20%. Hopeful, that symmetry in my smile when taking photos could be improved by even 10%. This is all subjective. What first appealed to me about CT was the non-subjectivity of the intake assessments: Alex conducted electrostimulation tests so that I could see the difference in strength between the affected and non-affected sides of my face. The tests also showed what muscles were working when they weren’t supposed to and at what strength.
After 5 visits to the clinic, the tightness in my face has diminished significantly. If I had to put a number on it, I would say by 80%. I can blink without feeling my mouth pulling. I regained confidence: after the 3rd session, I bought my first eyeliner in 5 years! I still see asymmetry in my smile in photos, but I know I have the tools and the ability to improve this.
We respect the privacy of our patients and upon their wish we do not share full name and photos.
The journey started in May 2023 with the call when I burst into tears and at the end of the call there was Alex smiling with a big hope which gave me aspiration to a symmetrical smile and face after 3 years of fight.
The address of the clinic was given to me from my Viennese neurologist´s friend who is also a doctor. I was confident that this will be the right way, despite the fact that Rotterdam is 1,200km away from home and that the treatments will require several visits. The visits not only changed my face but most importantly my feeling towards my mind and my body. I enjoy the time when doing my training still after a year.
Now, that the treatment journey is over, I am happy that I did it. On a scale of 1-10 my face is after a year of treatments at a 7,5 with ongoing potential for improvement at home. On a scale from 1-10 my heart is a 10. Thank you.
My name is Rana, and I’m a PhD student in urban planning from Iran. Just before my studies, I developed Bell’s Palsy in July 2014, leaving the right side of my face completely paralyzed for three months. The initial EMG showed nerve degeneration, but as small movements returned, I sought out physiotherapy and found Crystal Touch Clinic.
After my third treatment, the improvements have been incredible. Painful spots across my face and neck vanished after the first session, and I gained much better control over the right side of my face. My eye no longer closes involuntarily when I talk or smile, and I can control my smile again, which has restored my confidence in photos and social settings.
My first visit to Crystal Touch in June 2016 made me nervous, but with Elena’s guidance, I learned to relax my facial muscles and work on both sides of my face, relieving tension and improving balance. This has helped reduce my synkinesis and regain control of my facial expressions, which has been life-changing.
For anyone seeking a safe and effective way to improve facial mobility, I highly recommend the supportive environment at Crystal Touch Clinic. I hope others find the same relief and results I have.
My name is Gabriela, and after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, my life changed drastically. I struggled for years with facial paralysis, pain, and the emotional toll of seeing my smile disappear. Finding Crystal Touch Clinic was a turning point. The team offered a deeply personalized approach, focusing not only on my physical recovery but also on my mental well-being. Through specialized treatments, I regained facial movement, symmetry, and confidence.
Elena and her team’s expertise, patience, and encouragement made a significant difference. They taught me exercises and relaxation techniques that eased the pain and tension and gradually brought back natural expressions I thought were lost forever. After each session, I could see and feel real progress, something no other treatment had provided before. The journey wasn’t quick or easy, but the results were truly transformative.
For anyone facing a similar struggle, I highly recommend Crystal Touch. Their unique methods and heartfelt support offer more than just treatment—they give hope and tangible recovery, something I didn’t think possible after years of frustration. Today, I’m not only able to smile again, but I’ve regained the confidence and joy that I thought Ramsay Hunt Syndrome had taken away for good.
Read full Gabriela’s recovery story.
Register for NPR program in the Clinic
Step 1: Complete registration form
To register for the full NPR program in the Clinic, you need to fill in the registration form. No payment is required at this stage.
Step 2: Schedule a consultation
During your registration, you will choose how you want to meet for the first time: online or in the clinic. Based on your choice, we will schedule a meeting for consultation.
Step 3: Schedule your first visit
During the first consultation, we will discuss your first visit to the clinic and your program will begin.
