Affected Muscles:
- Corrugator supercilii - moves the eyebrows up and down
- Depressor labii inferioris - depresses the lower lip
- Orbicularis oculi - closes the eye
- Buccinator - maintains cheek tension
- Orbicularis oris - closes and protrudes lips
Mechanism of muscle weakness:
- The inflammation of the Facial (VII) nerve, thought of as being caused by viral infection, causes the nerve to be compressed against the bones it travels through. This leads to damage resulting in the nerve being unable to send signals, which weakens the facial muscles it is connected to.
Other symptoms:
- Headaches
- Loss of taste
- Drooling
- Facial twitching
- Tearing
- Hypersensitivity in the affected ear
- Tinnitus