In the process of life, a person can face many health problems. Sometimes pathological conditions can negatively affect the appearance and disrupt the normal functions of the human body. These changes include prosoparesis or a distorted face. This problem may also affect the ability to communicate normally with others. What are the causes and treatment of facial asymmetry?
Why does pathology arise?
Prozoparesis is a lesion of the facial nerve in which a person becomes unable to control the muscles of the face. In other words, paralysis occurs. It can be partial or full.
The most often distorted face is the result of:
- poliomyelitis - an acute viral disease in which the central nervous system is affected;
- herpes virus;
- mumps (mumps) - an infectious disease that affects the glandular tissue of the body;
- various head injuries;
- nerve damage that can occur with severe otitis media - an inflammatory process in the ear;
- mechanical damage to the nerve fiber resulting from improper surgical intervention;
- syphilis;
- tuberculosis
- multiple sclerosis;
- ischemic stroke - acute cerebrovascular accident;
- hypertensive crisis;
- diabetes mellitus.
In addition, cases of damage to the facial nerve due to such dental operations as extraction of the molar, opening of abscesses are not uncommon.
Varieties of pathology
There are 3 types of facial prosoparesis after a stroke or other diseases:
- Peripheral - when a part of the face is affected, most often it is the left or right half.
- Central prozoparesis is a lesion of the muscle structures of the lower part of the face. In this case, the person feels sagging muscles of the face, which are below the nose.
- Congenital variety. Diagnosed extremely rarely. It is characterized by the appearance immediately after birth.
Each type of prosoparesis has its own characteristic features that help to correctly diagnose pathology.
Degree of defeat
The consequences of a brain stroke and other serious diseases can be divided into 3 degrees:
- The lung is expressed in a slight deviation from the norm in the form of a slight omission of the mouth, where prozoparesis is localized. In addition, a person needs to make some efforts in order to close his eyes or frown.
- Medium is characterized by the inability to puff out cheeks or move his lips. Outwardly, the affected side looks more lowered.
In addition, lagophthalmus arises - the inability to completely close the eyelid.
- A heavy one looks like a completely skewed face on one side. In this case, half of the lip and eyelid are maximally lowered.
Depending on the degree of damage, adequate treatment is prescribed.
Symptoms
Prozoparesis is a pathological condition that can be determined by the following manifestations:
- omission of the corner of the mouth from the affected nerve;
- smoothing the nasolabial fold;
- inability to completely close the eye;
- prolapse of the lower and upper eyelids;
- difficulty in retaining food and water in the mouth from the affected nerve;
- smoothing wrinkles on one half of the forehead;
- decreased intensity or complete loss of taste;
- hearing loss;
- lacrimation from one eye;
- the inability to collect lips with a "tube".
In addition, severe pain behind the ear is noted in the first time after the occurrence of pathology.
Diagnostics
In order to determine facial paralysis, personal specialist consultation is often necessary, as the symptoms are too obvious. However, to complete the clinical picture, additional studies may be prescribed, such as:
- computed tomography, which will show the degree of brain damage if prozoparesis appears as a result of problems with this organ;
- electromyography - a study of the bioelectric potential of muscles by passing an electric current through them.
Additionally, an otolaryngologist consultation can be appointed in order to exclude the possibility of ENT diseases.
Drug treatment
How to recover from a stroke and other diseases that have serious consequences? First of all, treatment should be aimed at the full restoration of body functions that have been partially or completely lost. For these purposes, such medications may be prescribed:
- painkillers (most often analgesics are used);
- decongestants;
- vitamin complexes to maintain the immune system;
- vasodilator drugs;
- eye drops and artificial tears to mechanically hydrate the affected eye;
- sedatives.
In addition, it is important to conduct competent treatment of the disease, which has led to prozoparesis of the facial nerve.
Physiotherapy
Ancillary procedures include physiological treatment, including the following methods:
- face massage, which is carried out under the supervision of a doctor by a qualified masseur, self-kneading of the face with prozoparesis is not recommended;
- light therapy with a Sollux lamp, the ultraviolet and infrared rays of which have the ability to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and muscles;
- paraffin therapy, which consists in covering the face with a layer of warm paraffin;
- phonophoresis - treatment using ultrasound technology.
All procedures should be carried out in a clinical setting. The course of treatment depends on the degree of nerve damage and starts from 10 procedures, the interval between which is selected individually.
Alternative methods of treatment
Prozoparesis is a pathological condition that requires complex therapy. In some cases, alternative methods can also be connected to conservative methods of treatment, the action of which is aimed at maintaining immunity, easing paralysis, and also restoring muscle functions.
Often used various teas from plants such as venus slipper, verbena, motherwort. They can be brewed individually or together. Drink daily.
An hour before breakfast, it is recommended to drink 0.5 cups of freshly squeezed celery juice.
100 g of dried sage must be filled with 200 ml of boiling water and insisted for 8 hours. Drink the resulting liquid 1 teaspoon after a meal with a glass of milk.
In addition, it is important to abandon the use of strong black tea and coffee, as well as alcoholic beverages during treatment, since their effect can not only interfere with treatment, but also exacerbate the existing pathology.
Complications
How to recover from a stroke or other disease? It is important to carefully and timely comply with all the instructions of the attending physician who prescribed the treatment complex. Prozoparesis of the left, right half or lower part of the face with insufficient treatment or a combination of other negative factors can lead to complications such as:
- Irreversible damage to the nerve fiber. In this case, the full restoration of the performance of facial muscles is not possible.
- Improper restoration of nerves threatens only a partial return to the previous mobility of the face.
- Partial or complete blindness is possible in case of damage to the optic nerve.
Such terrible consequences can be not only from incorrect treatment, but also from untimely treatment to the doctor.