The symptoms of facial nerve paralysis are these 5

Facial nerve paralysis, also known as facial palsy or stroke, is a common disease in daily life. Its occurrence is particularly harmful to human health. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand the symptoms of facial nerve paralysis and to detect and treat it in time. Let’s take a look at the specific symptoms of facial nerve paralysis!

1. Platysma sign: This sign occurs in both central and peripheral facial nerve paralysis. The patient is asked to flex his head forward, and the examiner applies resistance on the patient's forehead. At this time, the platysma muscle on the healthy side contracts, while the paralyzed side does not contract.

2. Eyeball sign: The eyeball on the paralyzed side is not at the same level as the healthy side, but is moved upward compared to the healthy side, and the pupil level is also higher than the healthy side. This sign is called the eyeball sign.

3. Bell's sign: This sign is an important sign of peripheral facial nerve paralysis. When the eye is closed, the paralyzed eyeball moves upward (or inward), exposing the sclera under the cornea. This phenomenon is a coordinated movement and is essentially a physiological phenomenon. When the facial nerve is paralyzed, this phenomenon is easy to observe. When a normal person closes his eyes, if his upper eyelid is turned up, the Bell's phenomenon can also be seen.

4. Tongue deviation: This is mostly an illusion and is related to the incorrect position of the lips. After the corners of the mouth are artificially corrected, the tongue will no longer be deviated. However, tongue deviation may be seen in some cases. If this phenomenon occurs, the tongue always deviates to the healthy side, which is exactly the opposite direction of the tongue deviation associated with central facial nerve paralysis. The explanation for the tongue deviation caused by peripheral facial nerve paralysis is that it is caused by paralysis of the styloglossus and palatoglossus muscles innervated by the facial nerve.

5. Hyperacusis: It is occasionally seen in peripheral facial nerve paralysis. The mechanism of hyperacusis (overhearing) is: the tensor tympani muscle that keeps the eardrum tense is innervated by the internal pterygoid nerve which is a branch of the trigeminal nerve, and the stapedius muscle is innervated by the facial nerve. The two muscles are in an antagonistic relationship to maintain balance. When the facial nerve is paralyzed, the stapedius muscle is paralyzed. As a result, the tensor tympani muscle is relatively tense, the tension of the tympanic membrane is high, and small sounds produce strong vibrations, resulting in hyperacusis and lesions of the facial nerve above the branches of the stapedius muscle.

After the facial nerve paralysis lesion is formed, the symptoms are very obvious. The patient's orbicularis oculi and orbicularis oris muscles on the affected side have movement disorders, which leads to the stiffness of their facial expressions. It is difficult for them to do simple actions such as blinking, frowning, closing their eyes, inhaling, blowing, and pursing their lips. They also have difficulty eating, drinking, and chewing in daily life. Due to the characteristic site of disease onset, patients will not only suffer from inconvenience in their daily lives, but will also have a strong sense of inferiority due to their appearance. They generally do not want to see people and have no self-confidence. In severe cases, they may suffer from complications such as depression.