Good day to everyone in this forum! Here are my answers for the fourth activity. Thank you!
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?
Patient AM who was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy showed symptoms such as difficulty in speaking and drooping lips that reflect the affected muscles. These affected muscles include orbicularis oculi or the facial muscle that acts in closing the eyes. Another affected muscle is the patient’s frontal belly which draws the scalp anteriorly, raises eyebrows, and wrinkles the skin of the forehead. The third affected muscle is the Orbicularis oris which enables closing and protruding lips, compressing lips against teeth, and shaping it during speech. The fourth affected muscle is the zygomaticus minor which raises or elevates the upper lip, exposing upper teeth. Lastly, the buccinator or the muscles in the cheek are also affected. This muscle presses cheeks against teeth and lips, as in whistling, blowing, and sucking; draws the corner of the mouth laterally; and assists in mastication or chewing by keeping food between the teeth. The patient’s muscle weakness is brought up by damage or disease of the facial (VII) nerve which can be caused by inflammation or viral infection. Hence, most of the muscle weakness and displayed symptoms are observed in the face. Some other symptoms that the patient AM could exhibit could be drooling of saliva, difficulty in swallowing, fever, and tinnitus or ringing in the ears since the facial (VII) nerve also passes through the bones of the ear (TeachMeAnatomy, 2023; Tortora & Derrickson, 2017).
References:
TeachMeAnatomy. (2023, July 20). The Facial Nerve (CN VII) - Course - Functions - TeachMeAnatomy. https://teachmeanatomy.info/head/cranial-nerves/facial-nerve/
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2017). PRINCIPLES OF ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY (15th ed.).