A suspected bout of COVID-19 left a man with half his face numb and burning

A recent medical report details the case of a man who experienced sudden, unexplained numbness and facial pain shortly after a suspected respiratory infection. The clinical account suggests that common viruses might trigger lingering nerve issues in the face, providing evidence that doctors should consider viral histories when diagnosing sudden sensory changes. This case study was published in the journal Case Reports in Dentistry.

Nam Nguyen, Willow Meline, and Elborz Safarzadeh authored the report. They are affiliated with private dental practices located in Missouri City, Richmond, and Katy, Texas.

The authors documented this unusual clinical event because isolated facial nerve issues following viral infections are rare and often go unrecognized. Medical professionals frequently attribute facial pain or numbness to common dental infections, sinus problems, or physical trauma. By sharing this specific patient experience, the scientists aim to expand the list of potential causes that doctors consider when evaluating unexplained facial symptoms.

To understand this case, it helps to know a few medical terms related to the nervous system. The patient experienced a condition broadly known as neuropathy, which simply means damage or dysfunction of a nerve. When a nerve stops working correctly, it can send incorrect signals to the brain.

These incorrect signals often manifest as paresthesia, a medical term for abnormal sensations like tingling, burning, or numbness. The patient also experienced allodynia. This term describes a situation where a person feels pain from a physical stimulus that does not normally cause pain, such as a light touch to the skin.

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The specific nerve involved in this report is called the infraorbital nerve. This nerve acts as a branch of a larger facial nerve network known as the trigeminal system. The infraorbital nerve travels through the skull and provides physical sensation to the upper lip, the lower eyelid, and the middle part of the face. Because this nerve runs very close to the teeth and the sinus cavities, infections in those nearby areas often cause nerve irritation.

When a virus enters the body, the immune system mounts a defense. Sometimes, this defensive response inadvertently creates inflammation that affects healthy tissues, including sensitive nerve pathways.

The researchers noted that medical literature provides evidence linking viral infections, including COVID-19, to various nerve complications. Viruses can directly invade nerve fibers or trigger a widespread immune system response that indirectly damages surrounding nerve tissue. The authors wrote this report to highlight how an everyday respiratory virus might lead to a highly localized, frustrating nerve condition.

The case began when a 34-year-old man visited a dental office seeking relief for persistent, uncomfortable sensations on the left side of his face. He reported a constant tingling and a raw, burning feeling localized to his upper left lip and cheek. The man also experienced a dull, aching pain whenever someone touched the skin over his middle face.

These symptoms started abruptly in May 2025. The onset occurred exactly one week after the patient suffered from an upper respiratory illness. Several members of his household had been sick at the same time, and the family suspected they had contracted COVID-19. He experienced nasal congestion and tiredness, though he never developed a fever or a cough.

Because he did not take a laboratory test to confirm the presence of a specific virus, doctors could only presume he had a viral infection. His facial symptoms did not go away as his respiratory illness faded. Instead, the persistent tingling and pain lingered for months, prompting him to seek medical answers.

His initial search for relief led him to an emergency department. Doctors there performed a computed tomography scan, commonly known as a CT scan, which uses x-rays to create detailed images of the inside of the body. The scan showed mild inflammation in his maxillary sinuses, the hollow spaces located behind the cheekbones. The emergency doctors gave him a steroid injection to reduce inflammation and told him to follow up with a specialist.

An ear, nose, and throat specialist subsequently diagnosed the man with a sinus infection. The specialist prescribed a course of antibiotics and oral steroids. These medications successfully cleared up the patient’s minor sinus issues, but his facial numbness and pain remained entirely unchanged.

Seeking a second opinion, the man visited a different ear, nose, and throat specialist. This doctor used a small camera to look deep inside the patient’s nasal passages. The doctor found no blockages, no active inflammation, and no signs of disease. The specialist also performed basic neurological tests, which all came back looking completely normal.

With sinus issues ruled out, the patient then underwent a comprehensive dental evaluation. The dental team wanted to see if a hidden tooth infection or gum disease was pressing against the infraorbital nerve. They took specialized three-dimensional x-rays of his mouth and jaw to look for hidden problems beneath the gum line.

The dental staff also performed tests to check the health of the nerves inside his upper teeth. They tapped on the individual teeth to check for structural pain. They also applied extreme cold temperatures to the tooth surfaces to gauge his sensory reactions and verify that the internal dental nerves were alive and healthy.

Every single dental test returned normal results. The scientists concluded that the man’s teeth and jawbone were completely healthy, meaning a hidden dental infection was not the source of his facial pain.

To pinpoint the exact source of the problem, the dental team performed a diagnostic nerve block. They injected a local anesthetic, similar to the numbing medication used before a cavity filling, directly near the infraorbital nerve. During the injection, the patient felt a brief flash of the exact raw sensation he had been experiencing for months.

This brief reaction suggested that the needle had localized the exact spot of nerve irritation. Shortly after the injection, the patient’s face went numb, and his lingering pain and abnormal sensations completely vanished. The relief lasted for about six hours, aligning perfectly with the expected duration of the numbing medication.

Because the nerve block temporarily erased his symptoms, the researchers confirmed that the sensory disturbance was isolated to the infraorbital nerve. The team had successfully ruled out dental problems, physical trauma, tumors, and sinus diseases as the root causes. Consequently, the medical providers settled on a diagnosis of post-viral infraorbital neuropathy, meaning nerve damage caused by a recent viral infection.

The dental team recommended a conservative treatment approach rather than prescribing heavy nerve pain medications. They advised the patient to take standard over-the-counter pain relievers as needed. They also suggested he take a vitamin B complex supplement.

Scientific literature suggests that specific B vitamins, particularly vitamins B1, B6, and B12, tend to support nerve health and assist in the repair of damaged nerve fibers. These vitamins play a role in creating myelin, which is the protective coating that wraps around nerves and helps them conduct signals properly.

While this vitamin strategy is often used for nerve damage related to diabetes, the authors noted that it carries very low risks and might aid natural healing in post-viral cases. The patient opted not to take strong prescription medications for nerve pain because his discomfort was manageable, and he wanted to avoid potential side effects like drowsiness.

Over the next few months, the patient attended regular follow-up appointments. His symptoms never worsened, and the sensory issues never spread to other parts of his face or body. He did not develop any muscle weakness or trouble moving his jaw.

By his six-month checkup, the man reported that his symptoms had improved by about ninety percent. He still experienced occasional, mild flare-ups that lasted for a few days, but they did not interfere with his normal daily activities. Because his condition was stable and improving naturally, the clinical team decided to continue simply monitoring his progress.

Readers should exercise caution when interpreting the results of this single medical event. One major limitation of this report is the lack of laboratory confirmation regarding the patient’s initial illness. Without a positive test, doctors cannot say for certain that COVID-19 caused the nerve irritation.

The patient also did not undergo a formal evaluation by a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in brain and nerve disorders. He did not receive advanced magnetic resonance imaging of his brain or skull base. Unlike CT scans, which excel at showing bone structures, magnetic resonance imaging provides highly detailed pictures of soft tissues and subtle nerve inflammation. Without this advanced imaging, alternative causes for the nerve irritation remain a possibility.

Case reports are inherently limited because they only describe the experiences of one specific individual. A single observation cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between a specific virus and a subsequent nerve disorder. Generalizing the results of one patient to the broader public tends to be scientifically risky. Medical professionals need to observe similar outcomes across many different patients before drawing definitive conclusions.

Despite these limitations, individual case reports provide a highly useful function in the medical community. They act as an early warning system for unusual or emerging medical trends. When researchers publish detailed accounts of unique symptoms, they help other doctors recognize similar patterns in their own clinics.

Future research needs to track larger groups of patients who develop localized nerve issues after respiratory illnesses. Scientists could run targeted studies with confirmed viral testing and comprehensive brain imaging to better understand how viruses interact with facial nerves. Broader studies might eventually identify the exact biological mechanisms that cause post-viral nerve pain and determine the most effective treatments.

The study, “Persistent Unilateral Nerve Paresthesia Following Suspected Viral Infection,” was authored by Nam Nguyen, Willow Meline, and Elborz Safarzadeh.