Bell’s palsy is also known as facial palsy. It is the paralysis or weakness of muscles in one side of the face caused by several different viruses. In some rare cases it can affect both sides of the face. It has similar symptoms to a stroke but if it just affects the facial muscles it is likely not a stroke. It was first described in 1821 but can be traced back to 5th century BCE (Sajadi, 2011).
Sir Charles Bell was the first person to describe, anatomically, the correlation between the facial nerve and facial paralysis which is why it was named after him. However, talk of peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve can be traced all the way back to Hippocrates (Sajadi, 2011). Viral infections are the cause of Bell’s, a few of them are chickenpox, shingles, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus, mumps, influenza B and hand-foot-and-mouth disease. When the facial nerve becomes inflamed following a viral infection it can press against bone or become pinched inside the small gap in the bone which damages the protective coating and is what causes the facial weakness or paralysis (Nordqvist, 2017).
…show more content…
Symptoms of the disease are twitching, weakness or paralysis of one side of the face, drooping of eyelid and corner of mouth on affected side, ringing in one or both ears, headache, loss of taste and hypersensitivity to sound on affected side.
Treating Bell’s palsy is as simple as letting it resolve itself or in more severe cases the use of steroids will be necessary. Often, prednisone is used in treating it. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin will reduce pain and inflammation as well. In more severe cases the eye on the affected side will be unable to close so it needs to be kept lubricated and protected from debris throughout the day and especially while an individual is sleeping (“Bell’s Palsy Fact Sheet”,
2017). The prognosis for Bell’s is generally very good. Most cases will resolve themselves in as little as two weeks but can take up to nine months. In extremely rare cases facial paralysis or weakness can never go away or can reoccur on the same side or on the opposite side (“Bell’s Palsy Fact Sheet”, 2017). Preventing the disease is simple, a healthy diet supplemented with vitamins and minerals and leading an active lifestyle will help cut down your risk of developing Bell’s palsy. Also, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes will cut down on risk (“Prevention of Bell’s Palsy”). Future treatments for Bell’s palsy are also being looked into. For example, the use of electrical stimulation to promote nerve regeneration, timing the use of steroids differently has shown a difference. When steroids are introduced 24 hours after diagnosis there was a 66% rate of full recovery and increased significantly to 76% when the steroids were introduced between 24 and 48 hours afterward. Antiviral therapy has also shown to help based on Bell’s being caused by viral infections (Zhao, 2015). My interest in Bell’s stemmed from one of my favorite weightlifters being diagnosed with it, he competes in Strongman and other weightlifting competitions which means he is unable to take steroids. He was diagnosed in March 2017 and still suffers from slight facial weakness today. In conclusion, Bell’s is an inflammation of the facial nerve causing one sided facial weakness and paralysis. It is an easily treated disease resulting in fully curing it. In some rare cases people may not fully recover or it may reoccur.
Purpose- To identify the functions of the cranial nerve of the peripheral nervous system such as the olfactory, optic, oculomotor, trochlear, trigeminal, abducens, facial, vestibulocochlear, glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory, and the hypoglossal nerves. I will examine these functions with a series of behavior tests on my partner Jazmine Cooley to see if all nerves are functioning properly and if they are not, then this will be considered an identified dysfunction of a cranial nerve which is a diagnosis. Materials and Methods- Gloves Container full of substance Standardized eye chart Tape line
The name of each condition describes the location and severity of the paralyzed muscles. The first type is Spinal paralytic polio. This is the most common type of the three, it is caused by an infection in the spinal cord. It leaves its victims crippled, producing paralysis in the arms and/or legs. The legs are usually affected more than arms. The second type is Respiratory polio. The polio virus attacks the respiratory or chest muscles, making it difficult or impossible for the patient to breathe without help from a breathing machine. This condition is very dangerous, and may result in death in as much as fifty percent of its victims. The a third type is Bulbar polio. The polio virus attacks the nerve cells that are found just above the spinal cord in the region called the “bulb” or brain stem. These nerve cells control the pharynx (throat) and larynx (voice box) muscles. When these areas are affected, the patient may have serious problems breathing, swallowing, and speaking. This is the most dangerous form of polio. Secretions collect in the throat and may block the airway (trachea), which may cause the patient to suffocate (Polio
Bell’s palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. It results from damage to the nerve that controls movement of the muscles in the face, the damage may also affect your sense of taste and how you make tears and saliva. This condition can come on, often overnight and usually gets better on its own within a few weeks. This is not a result of a stroke or transient ischemic attack. This is referred to as a (TIA). Palsy simply means weakness or paralysis,
Flaccid dysarthria results from damage to the lower motor neurons (LMN) or the peripheral nervous system (Hageman, 1997). The characteristics of flaccid dysarthria generally reflect damage to cranial nerves with motor speech functions (e.g., cranial nerves IX, X, XI and XII) (Seikel, King & Drumright, 2010). Lower motor neurons connect the central nervous system to the muscle fibers; from the brainstem to the cranial nerves with motor function, or from the anterior horns of grey matter to the spinal nerves (Murdoch, 1998). If there are lesions to spinal nerves and the cranial nerves with motor speech functions, it is indicative of a lower motor neuron lesion and flaccid dysarthria. Damage to lower motor neurons that supply the speech muscles is also known as bulbar palsy (Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2007). Potential etiologies of flaccid dysarthria include spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accidents, tumors or traumatic brain injury (Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2007). Possible congenital etiologies of flaccid dysarthria include Moebius syndrome and cerebral palsy. Flaccid dysarthria can also arise from infections such as polio, herpes zoster, and secondary infections to AIDS (Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2007). Additionally, demyelinating diseases such as Guilian-Barre syndrome and myotonic muscular dystrophy can also lead to flaccid dysarthria (Pena-Brookes & Hedge, 2007). The lower motor neuron lesion results in loss of voluntary muscle control, and an inability to maintain muscle tone. Fasciculations, or twitching movements, may occur if the cell body is involved in the lesion (Seikel et. al., 2010). The primary speech characteristics of flaccid dysarthria include imprecise consonant production, hypernasal resonance, breathiness, and harsh voice (...
Nonspeech signs associated with hypokinetic dysarthria may include characteristics dealing with the face, eyes, hands, arms, and trunk. The individual may have an expressionless look to their face as well as weakness with gestures in the hands, arms, and face that would normally match the person’s prosody when speaking. Overall, their social interaction with others can be emotionless. Eye blinking occurs less frequently than normal and their head gaze does not match where their eyes are looking. These patients swallow infrequently which leads to drooling. A tremor may be present in the jaw, lips, and tongue as well as limited movement during speech even though strength of these structures is often normal.
“One example of acquire peripheral neuropathy is trigeminal neuralgia (also known as tic doulcunex), in which the damage to the trigeminal nerve (the largest nerve of the head and face) causes episodic attacks of excruitiating, lightning-like pain on one side of the face” (Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet).
For some types of MD, medication can help. Guys with Duchenne MD may be helped by a medicine called prednisone, and teens with myotonic MD might use mexilitine to relax muscles.
... damaged neurons. (Mayo clinic, 2014). This is called neuroplasticity, the ability for the nerves to compensate for damage caused by some outside force. Because of neuroplasticity physical training works to cure some of the paralysis left by the virus and allows us to walk again after the legs or another appendage is deformed or damaged.
The most common types of topographical types are diplegia, hemiplegia, double hemiplegia, and quadriplegia. The basal ganglia are part of the extrapyramidal system and work in conjunction with the motor cortex in providing movement and serve as the relay center. Damage to this area results in Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the second most common form of cerebral palsy. Involuntary, purposeless movements, particularly in the arms, hands, and facial muscles, characterize athetosis. In addition, the individual can become “stuck” in abnormal positions or postures and require specific positioning to maintain normal tone and movement.
In the 1960’s, an Austrian pediatrician, Dr. Andres Rett, recognized a few of his female patients with similar indications of having some type of neurologic disorder but did not fit the cerebral palsy classification (Zoghbi, 2002). Without the knowledge of earlier research, a Swedish physician, Bengt Hagberg, began to openly speak about his observations similarly to Dr. Andres Rett records (Zoghbi, 2002). Bengt Hagberg observed numerous of female patients with this unknown syndrome and was curious in their wringing hand movement that no textbook had information on. In June 1981 Dr. Neil Gordon hosted a board meeting of the European Federations of Child Neurology Societies in Manchester and Bengt Hagberg had the opportunity to share his studies there. The discussion group had other pediatric neurologists that had seen the same behaviors but they all were unable to categorize it into its own identity. As years past, this syndrome has increased and neurologist began to evaluate this syndrome t...
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
The onset of aphasia is extremely quick. It usually is found in people who have no former history of speech or language problems. The lesion leaves the affected area of the brain unable to function as it did only moments before (Owens 203).Wernicke’s aphasia is caused by damage to Wernicke’s area which can result from head injury, brain tumors, infections, dementia, or the most common cause, stroke. A posterior stroke that is isolated to Wernicke’s area does not result in total weakness of the arm and leg on the opposite ...
Facial nerve its function is control muscles of face expression and control taste of the tongue and inside the mouth .there exist some disease related to this part of pons paralysis of the facial nerve ,causes muscle weakness in one side of the face caused by a viral infection or medical error such as putting dental drug incorrectly .
“Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move” (Cerebral Palsy Alliance 2013). The disorder usually does not get any worse; yet it is an irreversible, everlasting illness that does not subside. Cerebral palsy occurs either during pregnancy or after pregnancy as the brain is impaired while in the process of developing. The effects of cerebral palsy are important when factored into a person’s lifestyle because it “can affect a person’s posture, balance, hearing, and ability to move, communicate, eat, sleep and learn. People who have CP may also be prone to seizures and have intellectual impairments (Cerebral Palsy Alliance 2013). The components of forming the word Cerebral Palsy are broken down into “cerebral” referring to the cerebrum which is the portion of the brain that is affected, and “palsy” also known as muscle (My Child 2007).
Brachial Plexus Injuries – damage to the upper spine and goes through the neck, shoulder, arm and hand. This can be minor to severe nerve damage, the most severe us when it results in complete paralysis