What is Facial Paralysis?
Facial paralysis
is a disease that goes with weakness of the muscles on one side of the face.
Facial paralysis occurs mainly for two reasons: the first is as a result of
damage to the body of nerve cells that go to the facial muscles in the brain,
and the second is as a result of damage to the main nerve of the muscles in the
face. To put it more simply, there are centers that control the nerve in the
brain, and if the problem originates from this center, it is usually
accompanied by a finding such as dizziness, epilepsy, paralysis of one side of
the body. It is very important to diagnose which type of facial paralysis you
have.
What Causes Facial Paralysis?
Infections may occur due to different reasons such
as head trauma, cerebral vascular occlusion, head-neck tumors, damage to the
facial nerve. However, in the majority of cases, the cause cannot be found and
this group is called "Bell's Palsy". The good news is that recovery
rates are quite high in this group.
What are the Symptoms of Facial
Paralysis?
On the affected side, poor control of mouth, eye
and forehead movements is the main finding. However, there may be complaints
such as decreased tears, twitching in the facial muscles, a different sense of
taste in the tongue, speech impairment, excessive drooling and tear production,
pain in the ear or around the jaw.
If any of the conditions such as blurred
consciousness, dizziness, balance problems, epileptic seizures, weakness in the
arms or legs on one side of the body are accompanied, it is understood that it
is a problem of brain origin and the treatment algorithm changes completely.
In patients with stroke-related facial paralysis,
unlike Bell's palsy, the blink and forehead wrinkling ability on the affected
side is preserved.
What is done in the treatment of
facial paralysis?
In facial paralysis diagnosed with Bell's palsy,
treatment is often started with cortisone group drugs, and studies have shown
that it has a positive contribution to recovery. However, physical therapy
practices such as acupuncture, muscle strengthenings with therapeutic
electrical stimulation contribute positively to recovery. Corneal damage that
may occur due to dry eye must be prevented.
In case of facial paralysis with a cause, the cause
should be treated correctly in addition to the applications listed in the
treatment.