The term facial palsy generally refers to weakness of the facial muscles, mainly resulting from temporary or permanent damage to the facial nerve. When a facial nerve is either non-functioning or missing, the muscles in the face do not receive the necessary signals in order to function properly. This results in paralysis of the affected part of the face, which can affect movement of the eye and/or the mouth, as well as other areas. There are different degrees of facial paralysis: sometimes only the lower half of the face is affected, sometimes one whole side of the face is affected and in some cases both sides of the face are affected. Each side of the face has its own facial nerve, so damaging the left facial nerve will only affect the left side of the face, and vice versa. Each nerve starts at the brain and enters the face to the front of the ear where it then divides into five separate branches. These branches supply the muscles which are used for facial expression. Tears, saliva production and taste are also controlled by the facial nerve in different ways.

Regards,

Editorial Assistant,

Journal of physiotherapy and Rehabilitation.

physicaltherapy@scitecjournals.com