Facial nerve disorder
The facial nerve is one of the seven cranial nerves that controls facial muscles. Its disorders can cause weakness on one or both sides of your face. You might lose your facial expressions, and find it difficult to eat, drink, and speak clearly. It can also become difficult to close your eyes and blink, which can lead to dryness and eventually cause damage to your cornea. Taste can be affected as well and you may experience excessive tearing and salivation. The severity of symptoms may vary from twitching to full paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face.
The treatment results depend on an early and precise diagnosis. Finding one of the symptoms mentioned earlier does not imply a specific nerve problem and requires investigation.
There are various causes that can lead to a nerve disorder. The most common are:
- various facial traumas or fractures, injuries,
- nervous system disease including stroke,
- intoxication with alcohol or carbon monoxide,
- bell’s palsy, so-called idiopathic facial nerve paralysis provoked by a viral infection of the facial nerve.
The first signs of the bell’s palsy may occur abruptly one or two weeks after you had an eye or ear infection or cold. Rarely, it affects both sides of the face. Normally, it is associated with a droopy appearance on one side of the face and the inability to open or close your eye on the affected side. You may also experience drooling, difficulty eating and drinking, headache, and sensitivity to sound. You will not be able to make a facial expression, for example smiling. Your eye may become dry & irritated if the lid is dropping.
If you are experiencing some of the above-mentioned symptoms call the doctor immediately. The symptoms may be similar to those of serious disease, for example, stroke or brain tumor.
What are the most common causes?
Bell’s palsy occurs because of the damage (compression) of the seventh cranial nerve. It is still unknown, why this damage is happening, but most medical researchers associate it with viral infection.
Viruses/bacterias that have been associated with Bell’s palsy are:
- Cold sores and genital herpes (herpes simplex),
- Chickenpox and shingles (herpes zoster),
- Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr),
- Cytomegalovirus infections,
- Respiratory illnesses (adenovirus),
- German measles (rubella),
- Mumps (mumps virus),
- Flu (influenza B),
- Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (coxsackievirus).
Bell’s palsy & COVID-19 vaccine
Moderna & Pfizer, in its reviews of vaccines addressed to the Food and Drug Administration, reported that several patients developed Bell’s palsy. It is well-known that one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 is a loss of taste. Unlike Bell’s palsy which occurs because of swollen seventh cranial nerves, the anosmia of COVID-19 is related to olfactory facial nerve (first cranial nerve) inflammation.
It is still early to confirm that vaccines may cause nerve paralysis as there is not enough research and evidence on the subject.
Diagnostics of bell’s palsy
A number of investigations are performed to discover the source of the problem: hearing, balance, tear, taste tests, salvation tests, electrical nerve stimulation tests.
The blood test may show the presence of viral infection or bacteria. Your doctor may also request to do magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography to check nerves in your face.
Treatment of Bell’s palsy
The treatment will be based on the diagnosis and the type of Bell’s palsy. You may use the medication with corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation. Antiviral ou antibacterial drugs are used to fight with the Bell’s palsy caused by bacteria or virus. In case of mild pain you may take over-the-counter pain medications.
Home treatment may include eye patches if you suffer from dry eye problems. Physical therapy exercises & facial massage to stimulate your facial muscles will contribute to the overall treatment process.
To accelerate the recovery, you may apply Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) with Rankel Smart Life in addition to the main treatment. LLLT may be highly effective. To achieve its healing effect, LLLT uses simultaneous pulsed infrared laser radiation, pulsed visible red light, pulsed visible blue light, and the continuous magnetic field. Please note that LLLT can be approved and conducted by specialists only!