Introduction to the Facial Nerve

Online Course

Increase your understanding of the Seventh Cranial Nerve to better manage Facial Palsy

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1-1.5 hours

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Course instructor

Wendy Walker

Wendy is a neurological physiotherapist, specialising in Facial Palsy, Peripheral Nerve Injuries and Neurology and Complex Conditions

Course image - Introduction to the Facial Nerve

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Introduction

The facial nerve (7th cranial nerve) is one of the most continuously used nerves in the body. It provides motor innervation to the muscles of facial expression, which are also involved in mastication, speech and the expression of our emotions, and it innervates the salivary glands and taste buds. Through its course and anatomical relations, the facial nerve is vulnerable to injury at various points. Injury to the facial nerve can result in facial palsy. Knowledge of the facial nerve, its course, function and vulnerabilities is essential for the optimal management of any facial palsy.

Aims

This course aims to increase your understanding of the facial nerve, including its anatomy and vulnerabilities, facial palsy, and the time frames and course of recovery following injury.

Outline

This course is made up of videos, reading, forum posts and a final quiz. The course content is split into the following sections:

Video
Reading activity
Quiz

Target audience

This course is aimed at Physiotherapy and Physical Therapy clinicians, students and assistants. Other interested professionals such as athletic trainers, occupational therapists, nurses or medical doctors interested in this subject are also invited to participate.

Practicalities

Availability - this course is online and can be completed on your own schedule.

Hours of Learning - No deadlines are applied to this course and it can be started and completed in your own time according to your personal schedule. We expect the required elements to take around 1-1.5 hours depending on your schedule and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take longer to complete.

Types of Activities - Watching videos, reading, a final quiz and participating in an international discussion forum.

Certificates - At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 1 Plus points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard.

Requirements to complete this course

In order to complete this course and receive a course completion certificate plus CEUs/CCUs/CPD points you will need to:

Respect the Plus Community Culture.
Log all the required learning activities as complete (represented by the orange icons!).
Actively and appropriately participate in the course discussions.
Pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or more.
Complete a course evaluation form.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course you will be able to:

describe the anatomy and course of the facial nerve
discuss potential sites of injury to the facial nerve
discuss the recovery of the facial nerve after injury
describe the presentation and pathophysiology of two conditions associated with facial palsy

Instructor financial and non-financial disclosures

No relevant financial relationships disclosed by instructor.
Non-financial disclosures by Wendy Walker:
1. I am on the Medical Advisory Board for the charity Facial Palsy UK. - The role is purely advisory, and I receive no payment.
2. I provide an ad-hoc telephone advice service for The Lindens Clinic Ltd. - The role means that I talk to facial palsy patients with complex issues on the phone. I receive no payment, this is something I volunteered to do.

Accessibility

For special needs or accommodations please contact us with details of how we can meet your needs.

Featured reviews

I am a physiotherapist working in Ontario, Canada. I loved the content and the way it was delivered! The presentation was so easy to understand. I appreciate your hard work towards making this course. I absolutely recommend this small overview.