ACTIVITY 4

WONG, Kateleen Claire T - Activity 4

WONG, Kateleen Claire T - Activity 4

by Kateleen Claire Wong -
Number of replies: 0

ACTIVITY 4

 

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 that 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?

  • Name 5 muscles that are affected and list their actions.

    • These nerves serve the muscles of facial expression, which include the frontalis, orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, buccinator, and platysma muscles.

  1. Occipitofrontalis  - Draws scalp anteriorly, raises eyebrows, and wrinkles skin of forehead horizontally, as in look of surprise

  2. Orbicularis oculi - Closes eye.

  3. Orbicularis oris - Closes and protrudes lips, as in kissing; compresses lips against teeth; and shapes lips during speech

  4. Buccinator - Presses cheeks against teeth and lips, as in whistling, blowing, and sucking; draws corner of mouth laterally; and assists in mastication (chewing) by keeping food between the teeth (and not between teeth and cheeks)

  5. Platysma - Draws outer part of lower lip inferiorly and posteriorly as in pouting; depresses mandible

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  • Mechanism of muscle weakness:

    • Bell’s palsy which is also known as idiopathic facial paralysis is a disorder that still has an unknown cause of the facial paralysis. The muscle weakens due to flaccid paralysis where the muscles and its nerves lack movement to the extent that it become soft, limp, and saggy. As said by Flint Rehab, “flaccidity refers to a complete lack of voluntary movement in a limb and is caused by damage to the neural pathways between the brain and muscles.” This damage to nerves is a consequence of the disorder which therefore makes muscle weakness or the flacidity of the facial muscles to be an indicator that someone may have Bell’s palsy.

 

  • Other symptoms as a result of facial muscle weakness:

    • The facial muscle weakness because of Bell’s Palsy, results to:

      • eyebrow and lower eyelid droop

      • inability to close eye

      • midface sagging, 

      • nasal twisting and obstruction

      • lower face droop with sagging at the corner of the mouth

      • difficulty eating

      • inability to smile

References:

Ahmed, A., Baskaya, M., Burkat, C., Chaiet, S., Janezewski, J., Lucarelli, M., Marcus, B., McCulloch, T., Roche, J., Siebert, J., & Wieland, A. (n.d.). Symptoms of Bell’s Palsey & Treatments. Symptoms of Bell’s Palsey & Treatments | Conditions | UW Health. https://www.uwhealth.org/conditions/bells-palsy 

Cairer, M. (2023, May 5). Flaccidity after stroke: What to look for & how to recover - flint rehab. FlintRehab. https://www.flintrehab.com/flaccidity-after-stroke/ 

Taylor, D. C. (2023, June 13). Bell Palsy. Practice Essentials, Background, Anatomy. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1146903-overview?0=reg#a1 

Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2017). Principles of anatomy and physiology. Wiley Custom Learning Solutions.