Name: Nicole Placido 09/08/23
Anatomy and Physiology Ma’am Josephine Aldaba
ACTIVITY # 4
-
This is patient AM, a 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 comorbidities. 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:
-
Buccinator
-
Action: When eating, the buccinator keeps the cheeks compressed against the teeth while maintaining their tightness. It also helps the tongue keep the food bolus in the middle of the mouth cavity.
-
-
Orbicularis Oculi
-
Action: Closes eye
-
-
Risorius
-
Action: By contracting outward and upward, the risorius muscle helps with facial expression by pulling the corner of the mouth laterally.
-
-
Mentalis
-
Action: Elevates and protrudes lower lip and pulls skin of chin, as in pouting.
-
-
Platysma
-
Action: Tenses skin of inferior face and neck (conveying tension a stress); depresses mandible (against resistance)
-
Bell's palsy is a disorder that causes the muscles on one side of the face to suddenly weaken. The weakness often subsides over a few weeks and is only transitory. The weakening makes the lower portion of the face look sagging. His weaker and troubled facial muscles, the risorius and orbicularis oculi, are mostly to blame for the left side of his lip and his left eye's apparent loosening, respectively. The next issue is his left cheek's sagging due to the weakened muscle, Buccinator. Last but not least, his left lower lip and superficial neck muscle drooped due to the affected muscles, Mentalis and Platysma. When the nerve in your face becomes irritated, this happens. This is typically caused by a viral infection.
The seventh cranial nerve, which controls the facial muscles, becomes inflamed and swollen, which results in Bell's palsy. One of the two facial nerves gets irritated, which has an impact on the muscles on one side of the face. However, a lot of Bell's palsy cases are idiopathic, which means they have no identified origin. Inflammation can also be a side effect of some diseases, like viral infections.
Other Symptoms:
-
Your face suddenly becomes numb or paralyzed on one side.
-
A drooping mouth and eyebrow
-
You start to drool from one side of your mouth.
-
Having trouble closing your eyes, which results in dry eyes
REFERENCES:
Danette C Taylor, D. (2023) Bell Palsy, Practice Essentials, Background, Anatomy. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1146903-overview#:~:text=These%20nerves%20serve%20the%20muscles,%2C%20buccinator%2C%20and%20platysma%20muscles. (Accessed: 08 September 2023).
Tortora, G.J. and Derrickson, B. (2017) Principles of anatomy and physiology. Danvers, MA: Wiley Custom Learning Solutions.