This is patient AM, 28-year-old male who came in the ER because of drooping of his left face. He said he woke up and he could not move his left face.
He has no other muscle weakness. He is conscious and coherent although he had a little difficulty speaking because the left side of his lips drooped. He had normal blood pressure and he had no other co-morbidities. He was diagnosed to have Bell’s palsy. Name 5 muscles which are affected and list its actions. Describe the mechanism of his muscle weakness. What other symptoms could the patient exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness?
5 muscles which may be affected and actions:
-Buccinator: tightens cheeks and aids in chewing
-Platysma: for pouting and forming various facial expressions
-Orbicularis oculi: responsible for blinking and controlling tears
-Orbicularis oris: lip protrusion, aids in speaking
-Frontalis: eyebrow movement and forehead wrinkling
-MECHANISM: Bell's Palsy is a disease that causes unilateral facial paralysis due to some form of damage in the facial nerves. The nerves may be inflamed or compressed, causing them to lose their sensory functions
-SYMPTOMS: Drooping of the mouth, loss of taste, headache, tinnitus, pain in the facial region, difficulty in eating