Name 5 Muscles Affected and Their Actions:
1. Frontalis
- Action: Elevates the eyebrows.
2. Orbucularis Oculi
- Action: Closes the eyelids.
3. Orbicularis Oris
- Action: Closes the mouth.
4. Buccinator
- Action: Pulls the corners of the mouth laterally.
5. Platysma
- Action: Depresses the mandible.
Describe the Mechanism of Muscle Weakness:
Bell’s palsy is characterized by paralysis on one side of the face, which results from damage to the facial nerve. This nerve damage impairs muscle control, causing the affected side of the face to droop. This lack of muscle control can significantly interfere with daily activities, such as:
- Eating: Food may fall out of the mouth on the paralyzed side.
- Speaking: The inability to open one side of the mouth properly can make speech slurred or difficult to understand.
- Drinking: Similar to eating, drinking is affected, with fluids potentially leaking from the paralyzed side.
- Blinking: Loss of control over the eyelid can make blinking difficult or impossible.
Other Symptoms of Facial Muscle Weakness:
- Dry eyes due to eyelid muscle paralysis.
- Dry mouth and potential loss of taste.
- Sensitivity to sound in the affected ear.