ACTIVITY 4

VILLAS, Hannah Monica V. - Activity 4

VILLAS, Hannah Monica V. - Activity 4

by Hannah Monica Villas -
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5 muscles affected by Bell’s Palsy and its actions

  1. Frontalis

    1. Action: Elevating eyebrows

  2. Orbicularis oculi

    1. Action: Closing eyes

  3. Orbicularis oris

    1. Action: Closing and protruding lips; compressing lips against teeth; and shaping lips during speech

  4. Buccinator

    1. Action: Pressing cheeks against teeth and lips; drawing corner of mouth laterally; and assisting mastication

  5. Platysma muscles

    1. Action: Drawing outer part of lower lip inferiorly and posteriorly; depressing mandible

 

Mechanism of muscle weakness
Bell's Palsy is a unilateral paralysis of the muscles responsible for facial expression. The facial (VII) nerve is damaged by either viral or bacterial infection. Ear infections, ear surgery that caused damage to the facial nerve, or herpes simplex virus infection can cause inflammations to the facial nerve. The person with Bell's Palsy may have difficulty in swallowing and drooling along with the inability to wrinkle the forehead, close eyes, or pucker lips.

 

What other symptoms could the patient exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness?

  • Loss of taste

  • Decreased salivation

  • Loss of ability to close the eyes even during sleep

 

References:

Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2018). Principles of anatomy and physiology. John Wiley & Sons.