Your eye starts twitching and as time passes by, your mouth starts to feel crooked. The
numbness starts to kick in and you aren’t able to blink with one of your eyes. You look in the
mirror and you see half your face is droopy and as you smile, only one side of your face is
working. “Bell’s palsy is a condition in which the muscles on one side of your face becomes
weak or paralyzed. It affects only one side of the face at a time, causing it to droop or become
stiff on that side. It’s caused by some kind of trauma to the seventh cranial nerve. This is also
called the ‘facial nerve.’” “People often think that they are experiencing a stroke, and are not 1
familiar with the milder symptoms of Bell's Palsy that often precede the involvement of the
facial muscles.” Discover the history, effects, and recovery which include the causes and
treatments of Bell’s Palsy.
History of Bell’s Palsy
The facial nerve is the center of bell’s palsy. “Spontaneous, unilateral facial nerve
paralysis in the absence of an identifiable cause, described by Charles Bell in 1831 (hence
sometimes known as Bell’s palsy or BP) remains the most common cause of unilateral facial
nerve paralysis.” Charles Bell was a scottish surgeon who discovered the difference between
sensory nerves and motor nerves (See figure A-1). “Effects of Bell’s Palsy the aspects of our
current understanding of idiopathic facial nerve paralysis reviewed included epidemiology,
clinical presentation, aetiology and pathophysiology, diagnosis (including differential), prognosis
and management of both acute and established facial nerve paralysis.” There are many different 2
paths to the facial nerve. There are. “Bell’s palsy is characterized by the spontaneous acute onset
of unilateral peripheral facial paresis or palsy in isolation, meaning that no features from the
1 Lava, Nala. “What Is Bell's Palsy?” WebMD, WebMD, 26 Oct. 2016
2 Glass, Graeme E, and Kallirroi Tzafetta. “Bell's Palsy: a Summary of Current Evidence.” OUP
Academic, Oxford University Press, 10 Sept. 2014
history, neurologic examination, or head and neck examination suggest a specific or alternative
cause.” There are two different types, Bell’s and Facial palsy. The nerve that is injured is called 3
7N-VII, it is in the area of the brain stems (the Pons). “The nerve controls the muscles of the
neck, the forehead and facial expressions, as well as perceived sound volume.” The seventh
nerve can also effect ⅔ of the tongue. 4
The chances of getting BP may vary based on the health of the body. Approximately
40,000 people get BP a year. In human terms, this is 1 of every 5,000 people. Most people 5 6
don’t know what it is right away and start to panic, and it is often mistaken as a stroke. Bell’s
Palsy is not as uncommon as it seems. The most common age is between the ages 15-60. It is not
something that runs in the family and it is very rare for ages above or under. ...
