What is Bell's Palsy?

What is Bell's Palsy?
Bells palsy is a condition that causes the half of facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed. It's caused by trauma to the 7th cranial nerve.

Who gets Bell’s Palsy?
The incidence of Bells palsy in males and females are approximately equal.  Older people are more likely to be afflicted, but children are not immune to it. Children have more chance to recover well.

Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms may come on all at once or show up bit by bit over a few days. Usually, they reach their worst point within a few days.  Symptoms of Bell's palsy may include:
- Twitching, weakness, or stiffness on one side of the face
- Half of the face drooping (especially one corner of the mouth)
- Trouble closing one eye
- Dryness in one eye
- Difficulty speaking, eating, or drinking
- Headache
- Pain behind or in front of one ear
- Loss of taste at affected parts of the tongue
- Changes in the amount of saliva in the mouth
- Hearing sounds louder in one ear

Who is at risk for Bell's Palsy?
Conditions that compromise the immune system, such as HIV, increase the risk for Bell's palsy. Stress, pregnancy, and diabetes are also risk factors.  Diabetics are more than 4 times as likely to develop the disorder compared to the general population. People who are infected by Bacteria such as Lyme disease or typhoid fever and Viruses like Influenza and common cold are also at risk to get Bells Palsy. Trauma to the head or face and tumor causing nerve compression can also lead to Bells Palsy.

How is Bell's Palsy Diagnosed?

Doctors often can diagnose Bell's palsy by just looking at the person because the face has a certain look. To be sure, the doctor might do tests like an MRI or CT scan, which take pictures of the inside of the head, to make sure nothing else is causing the facial weakness.  Sometimes a Neurologist (a doctor who focuses on how the nervous system works) will do a test called electromyography or EMG. An EMG can show how well the face's muscles are.

Treatment for Bell's Palsy
Because the facial nerve often repairs itself, doctors usually just help the person deal with the symptoms until they get better.  It's rare that a doctor would do surgery for Bell's palsy. Instead, he or she might prescribe medicine to reduce the swelling or fight the virus to help speed up recovery. One of the common medications is steroid which can accelerate the process of facial muscle recovery.   Vitamin B complex facilitates healing of the damage facial nerve and
therefore may also be recommended as a supplement.

Physical therapy can minimize asymmetrical appearance and improve mobility of face by giving some facial exercises and

Recovery from Bell’s Palsy
Approximately 50% of Bells palsy patients will have essentially complete recoveries in a short time. Another 35% will have good recoveries in less than a year.

How can The Medical City help you?
At the Medical City we have a complete roster of competent physicians who may assess and treat people with Bell’s Palsy.

References :
American Academy of Family Physicians
www.aafp.org.

Bell's Palsy Information Site
www.bellspalsy.ws
The Search for Good Story
www.misterorange.com
Neurology channel-Your neurology community
www.neurology.com
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation by Randall Braddom

WIKIPEDIA-The Free Encyclopedia
https://www.beautyimpress.com/images/Facial-muscle-2.jpg.
September 1, 2008.
https://services.epnet.com/getimage.aspx?imageiid=4912.
September 1, 2008.
https://bellspalsy.org.uk/treatment.htm.
September 5, 2008
www.essense-of-life.com/info/vitaminb.htm.
September 5, 2008

Note:   This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advise, diagnosis or treatment.   If you or someone you know have any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is advisable to seek professional help.

For further inquiries or if you want to seek consult please call:

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