What is the difference between facial muscle spasm and facial palsy?

  Many patients misunderstand facial myasthenia and facial palsy as one disease, and are often confused as to what the difference between facial myasthenia and facial palsy is. Many times the lack of medical understanding of these two common facial diseases often causes some confusion, which causes a lot of trouble for their prevention, treatment and future rehabilitation care.  Facial palsy refers to facial muscle paralysis, a condition caused by damage to the facial nerve due to various reasons. The symptoms of facial palsy are manifested as dysfunction of the motor function of the facial expression muscles, such as when making a crooked mouth and making expressions. The eyebrows cannot be raised. There are no forehead lines, incomplete eyelid closure, shallow nasolabial folds on the affected side, crooked mouth toward the healthy side, and inability to puff. When whistling, it leaks air. In severe cases, even eating is a problem, requiring the use of liquid or semi-liquid food.  Facial muscle spasm, on the other hand, is a painless regular clonic twitching of the facial muscles. It usually starts with contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle and the twitching is often limited to the eyelids or corners of the mouth, but in severe cases it can extend to the entire half of the face. The symptoms of facial muscle spasm are unique in that they begin as intermittent twitching of one upper or lower eyelid. As the condition worsens, it gradually and slowly progresses to the cheek and even the entire half of the face.  In patients with facial spasm, the twitching of the corners of the mouth is the most striking, and in severe cases it may even spread to the neck muscles on the same side. The degree of twitching varies and can be exacerbated by fatigue, excitement, nervousness, and voluntary movements, but it cannot be imitated or controlled by itself and can even be spastic in severe cases. In a few patients, the twitching attacks are accompanied by mild facial pain, and individual cases may be accompanied by headache or tinnitus on the diseased side.  Through the above introduction of the difference between facial palsy and facial muscle spasm, I believe we have understood that although facial palsy and facial muscle spasm are both facial nerve diseases, they are indeed two completely different diseases. I hope that patients will actively go to a regular hospital to check and confirm their disease according to their symptoms, and carry out professional treatment according to the doctor’s diagnosis. The consequences of the disease will be more serious.