Name 5 muscles which are affected and list its actions:
Frontalis
Action: Raises the eyebrows and wrinkles the forehead
Orbicularis Oculi
Action: Closes the eyelids (blinking and winking)
Zygomaticus Major
Action: Elevates the corner of the mouth (smiling)
Orbicularis Oris
Action: Closes and protrudes the lips (puckering, whistling, and speaking)
Buccinator
Action: Compresses the cheek (aids in chewing and blowing air)
Describe the mechanism of his muscle weakness:
Bell’s palsy is brought on by inflammation or a viral infection that affects the cranial nerve VII which regulates the muscles of expression. The facial nerve travels through the temporal bone's tiny facial canal. Inflammation in this small area can compress the nerve, paralyzing the muscles it connects partially or entirely. The muscles here may either be paralyzed or made weak. They will not be able to perform their normal functions.
Other symptoms that the patient could exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness:
Headache
Sensitivity to sound
Drooling
Altered taste sensations
Difficulty speaking, eating, or drinking