Bell's Palsy

Bell’s Palsy is a paralysis of the facial nerve that was first described by Sir Charles Bell, a Scottish surgeon of the early nineteenth century. It may affect men and women at any age, though it occurs most commonly between the ages of 30 and 50. The onset of the facial paralysis may be abrupt; the patient may awaken one morning unable to move one side of his face. He can’t wrinkle one side of his forehead or raise the eyebrow; the eye will not close on the affected side, and when attempting to smile, the face is pulled to the opposite siede. Occasionally the patient may experience discomfrot about the ear on the involved side. There is no difficulty in swallowing, but because the muscles about the corner of the mouth are weak, drolling is not uncommon, and food may accumulate in the gutter between gum and lip.

Bell’s palsy may affect the branch of the facial nerve that supplies taste sensation to the anterior part of the tongue and the branch that supplies a small muscle in the middle ear (the stapedius) whose function it is to dampen loud sounds. Depending on the extent to which the facial nerve is affected, the patient may be able to perceive tast on the side of the paralysis and may be unusually sensitive to sounds, a condition known as hyperacusis.

The most probable causes of Bell’s palsy are inflammation of the facial nerve as it passes through a bony canal with subsequent swelling and compression of the nerve. It is not uncommon tht the patient has a history of exposure to a cold breeze, such as sleeping in a draft or riding in an open car. Any patient who has a facial weakness should be carefully evaluated by a physician, preferably a neurologist, to be quite certain that ther is no other neurological abnormality. When the diagnosis of Bell’s palsy is certain, some theraputic measures can be taken. Dr. Nelson often finds the paralysis is often caused due to infections in the facial nerve or the trigeminal nerve (another cheek nerve). He often finds the jaw bone is misaligned, which he puts back into place and this helps also. He has fairly good success in treating Bell’s Palsy.

Dr. Nelson has people come from all over the United States and Canada to be treated.