Diagnosis: Bell’s Palsy
Muscles which are affected and its actions:
- Frontalis - Pull the scalp forward, raise the eyebrows, and create wrinkles in the skin of the forehead
- Orbicularis oculi - Closes the eye; blinks the eyes.
- orbicularis oris - closes the lips, compresses lips against teeth, protrudes lips, and forms the lips during speech.
- Buccinator - compresses and causes the cheeks to cave in
- platysma - Pull down the outer part of the lower lip and backward; this depresses the mandible.
Mechanism of the muscle weakness:
Bell palsy is an inflammatory process of the facial nerve that leads to compression along the narrow segment of the fallopian canal. Because of this inflammation, temporary loss of sensory and motor function can lead to permanent nerve degeneration in the future. (Loukas, 2014)
Other symptoms the patient exhibit as a result of a facial muscle weakness:
- A drooping eyebrow and mouth
- Drooling from one side of your mouth
- Difficulty closing an eyelid, which causes eye dryness
- Facial pain or abnormal sensations
- Problems eating or drinking
References:
Bell’s Palsy. (2023). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/bells-palsy
Loukas, M. (2014). The neurologist’s dilemma: A comprehensive clinical review of Bell’s palsy, with emphasis on current management trends. Medical Science Monitor, 20, 83–90. https://doi.org/10.12659/msm.889876
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2017). Tortora’s Principles of Anatomy and Physiology John Wiley & Sons, Inc. eBooks https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB23861293