Bell’s Palsy Causes and Symptoms

Bell’s Palsy is one of many unique medical conditions that most of us aren’t aware of. It is a type of paralysis or temporary weakness that happens in the muscles of the face. The weakening of the facial muscles on either one or both sides of the face leads to paralysis. The nerves that control your facial muscles can become swollen, inflamed, or compressed.

But to learn in-depth about Bell’s Palsy, this brief information isn’t enough. This is why here we are going to list down the causes and symptoms of Bell’s Palsy. Let us begin with a detailed introduction of the medical condition first.

Introduction To Bell’s Palsy

As mentioned above, Bell’s Palsy is facial paralysis. This condition can cause temporary or permanent damage to an individual’s facial nerve. When one side of a person’s face is affected it could cause that side of the face to droop. Their smile can become asymmetrical, they won’t be able to shut their eyes fully, and will have to deal with facial pain and facial spasms too.

However, a victim of Bell’s Palsy might have to go through other challenges apart from facial paralysis too. Some of these side effects include a lost sense of taste and not able to make tears and saliva.

What makes Bell’s Palsy more dangerous is the fact that it doesn’t come with any sort of warning like most of the other medical problems. You could be completely okay one day and could be dealing with Bell’s Palsy the very next day. Although there are quite a few physical symptoms related to Bell’s Palsy, they usually differ from one person to another.

Bell’s Palsy is temporary in most cases and the symptoms go away within a few weeks but it can recur. Permanent Bell’s Palsy happens on the rarest of occasions.

Causes of Bell’s Palsy

As far as the causes of Bell’s Palsy is concerned, over the years there have been a lot of research carried out on the same. The facial nerve that is compressed or swollen that further leads to Bell’s Palsy is the seventh cranial nerve within the fallopian canal in the head close to the internal auditory canal. This was first studied by Sir Charles Bell. The diameter of the internal auditory canal is nearly .68mm and seemed to believe that this is where the nerve is being compressed.

The accurate and fully-proven cause of Bell’s Palsy is yet to be discovered. However, it has been related to the herpes virus that causes cold sores and other viral infections as per some researches. Apart from herpes simplex, the viruses that are believed to have a connection with facial paralysis are:

• HIV that damages the immune system
• Sarcoidosis, which leads to organ inflammation
• Epstein-Barr virus that causes mononucleosis
• Herpes zoster virus which causes chickenpox and shingles

Symptoms of Bell’s Palsy

Bell’s Palsy can happen to anyone, anywhere, and anytime regardless of their age. It could just take a couple of hours before it starts to reflect on the person’s face. The symptoms of facial paralysis are very subtle, to begin with. Check out the common symptoms for Bell’s Palsy below:

• Difficulty in eating and drinking
• Dryness in eyes and mouth
• Headache and facial pain on the affected side
• Difficulty in frowning
• Eye irritation on the affected side of the face
• Difficulty in making facial expressions

On noticing any one of these symptoms or anything unusual about your face, you must reach out to your doctor immediately. Never ignore such symptoms as it could as well cause some major damage to one’s facial structure and health.

Conclusion

Bell’s Palsy is a serious condition and mustn’t be taken lightly. If you are a victim of this medical condition, we could help you deal with and overcome it effectively. Learn more about Bell’s Palsy Coach and its services by going through our website.