Activity 4
- Name 5 muscles which are affected and list its actions.
Patient AM is diagnosed with Bell’s palsy and has affected his facial muscles, specifically those that control his facial expressions. These muscles are as follows: Buccinator, Occipitofrontalis, Orbicularis Oculi, Orbicularis Oris, and Platysma.
- The buccinator muscle presses the cheeks to the teeth during chewing and prevents injury due to its other purpose of tightening the muscle.
- The occipitofrontalis raises the eyebrows, wrinkle the forehead, and adjusts the scalp.
- The orbicularis oculi regulates the closing of the eye, namely during blinking and winking.
- The orbicularis oris closes the lips and is mainly responsible for the appearance of our mouth during talking.
- The platysma is responsible for lifting the mouth and for a number of facial expressions.
- Describe the mechanism of his muscle weakness.
Bell's palsy is an inexplicable episode of facial muscular paralysis or weakness that frequently resolves on its own without any issues. Bell's palsy is most likely caused by an inflammatory disease that compresses the facial nerve along this restricted area of the fallopian canal. A temporary loss of sensory or motor function is the initial effect of this neurological disorder; symptoms of facial weakness or paralysis intensify over the course of the first few days before starting to improve in around two weeks. Moreover, it might take three to six months for a full recovery or for permanent deterioration.
- What other symptoms could the patient exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness?
Other than the indicated symptoms above of Patient AM, these are the other implications of having Bell's palsy:
- Difficulty in closing eyes (blinking)
- Inability to swallow
- Drooling from left side of the mouth
- Pain around the jaw/behind the mouth
- Failure to show facial expressions
References:
Tortora, G. J. (2018, May 15). Principles of anatomy and physiology. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books/about/Principles_of_Anatomy_and_Physiology.html?id=aSaVDwAAQBAJ
Bell’s Palsy. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2023, March 8). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/bells-palsy