A method for stimulating facial nerves in a subject with synkinetic
reinnervated muscles includes providing an electrode, having a plurality
of contacts, in a parotic region of the subject's face, stimulating each
of the contacts separately, identifying one or more contacts from the
plurality of contacts that cause one or more nerve branches to activate a
desired facial muscle, and selecting the identified contacts to stimulate
the one or more nerve branches. The system includes an electrode having a
plurality of contacts for placement in a parotic region of the subject's
face and a processor in communication with the electrode. The processor
has program code for stimulating each of the contacts separately, for
identifying one or more contacts from the plurality of contacts that
cause one or more nerve branches to activate a desired facial muscle, and
for selecting the identified contacts to stimulate the one or more nerve
branches.
