Facial Palsy – What is it, Symptoms and Treatments!
Facial Palsy – What it is, Symptoms and Treatments of this condition. Also, Facial Palsy is a loss of facial movement due to nerve damage. Your facial muscles may seem to shrink or become weak. It can happen on one or both sides of the face. Facial palsy can occur suddenly (in the case of Bell’s palsy, for example) or it can occur gradually over a period of months (in the case of a tumor in the head or neck). Depending on the cause, paralysis can last for a short or long period of time.
Facial Palsy is an event that causes great anxiety in patients and their families, as the first thing that comes to mind is the possibility of a stroke. However, more than 70% of Facial Palsy are caused by a much more benign condition called Bell’s palsy.
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Causes of Facial Palsy: According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, Bell’s Palsy is the most common cause of Facial Palsy . Every year, about 40,000 Americans suffer Sudden Facial Palsy due to Bell’s Palsy. This condition causes inflammation of the facial nerve, which usually causes the muscles on one side of the face to become paralyzed.
No one knows exactly why Bell’s palsy occurs. It may be related to a viral infection of the facial nerve. The good news is that most people with Bell’s palsy make a full recovery in about six months.
Other Causes of Facial Palsy Include:
- Skull fracture or facial injury
- Head or neck tumor
- Middle ear infection or other ear damage
- Lyme disease, a bacterial disease transmitted to humans by a tick bite
- Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, a viral reactivation that affects the facial nerve
- Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which affects the brain and spinal cord, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects the nervous system
Birth can cause temporary Facial Palsy in some babies. However, 90 percent of babies with this type of injury recover completely without treatment. You can also have Facial Palsy at birth due to certain congenital syndromes such as Mobius syndrome and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome.
Symptoms of Facial Palsy: While Facial Palsy is often alarming, it doesn’t always mean you are having a stroke. The most common diagnosis is actually Bell’s palsy. Symptoms of Bell’s Palsy can include a combination of:
- Facial palsy on one side (both sides of the face are rarely affected)
- Intermittent loss of control on the affected side
- tear reduction
- Tilting the mouth to the affected side
- Changed taste
- slurred speech
- Drooling
- Pain in or behind the ear
- Sound hypersensitivity on the affected side
- Difficulty eating or drinking
Facial Palsy Treatments: The vast majority of people with Facial Palsy will recover completely on their own, with or without treatment. However, studies have shown that taking oral steroids (such as prednisone) and antiviral medications right away can help increase your chances of full recovery. Physical therapy also helps to strengthen your muscles and prevent permanent damage.
For those who don’t fully recover, cosmetic surgery can help correct eyelids that don’t close completely or a crooked smile.
The biggest danger of Facial Palsy is possible eye damage. Bell’s palsy usually keeps one or both eyelids closed completely. When the eye cannot blink normally, the cornea can dry out and particles can enter and damage the eye.
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People with Facial Palsy should use artificial tears throughout the day and apply an eye lubricant at night. They may also use a special clear plastic moisture chamber to keep the eye moist and protected.