All the patients of face pain or nerve pain in head, ask first question i.e. what is the meaning of Trigeminal Neuralgia ? So we thought let’s talk about it first.
NEURALGIA or Nerve pain
Neuralgia is a sharp, burning and severe pain that occurs along a damaged nerve. The damaged nerve may be anywhere in the body, but is most common in the face and neck. The cause of a damaged nerve may be a disease like multiple sclerosis, diabetes (diabetic neuropathy), brain tumour or an infection like shingles, or it could be a part of aging. Treatment for this kind of nerve pain of neuralgia depends on the cause.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
There are twelve cranial nerves that directly connect to the body. These nerves are involved with the muscle and senses of the head and neck. 5th cranial nerve is called the trigeminal nerve, because it has three (tri) branches responsible for face sensation and chewing.
Trigeminal nerve branches : The ophthalmic nerve (V1), The maxillary nerve (V2) and The mandibular nerve (V3).
All responsible for different areas on face.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is intense, random, sudden, sharp shooting or electric shock like facial pain in the areas of the face where the branches of the nerve are distributed – lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, upper jaw, and lower jaw.
The pain episodes last from a few seconds to as long as many minutes. These attacks can occur in rapid sequence or constant hurting, burning, sharp pain of somewhat lower strength.
More than one nerve branch can be affected at the same time. Usually it happens on one side of the face. It can occur at any age.
Click on neuralgia to know about other type of neuralgias or nerve pain.
Trigeminal neuralgia causes
It can be caused by a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve as it exits the brain, which prompts the wearing away or damage to the protective coating around the nerve. It is a kind of inflammation of trigeminal nerve. Multiple sclerosis is one of the causes. In many patients there may not be any specific cause for it, known as idiopathic. Few brain tumour like acoustic neuroma, pituitary adenoma etc. or arteriovenous malformation may also be responsible for trigeminal neuralgia.
You need to call Trigeminal neuralgia treatment specialist near you if any of these Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms present
- Intense burst of pain, set off by vibration or contact with the cheek such as when shaving, washing the face, or applying makeup, brushing teeth, eating, swallowing, drinking, talking, or being exposed to the wind.
- Avoiding social contact and daily activities such as eating and talking because of fear of pain attack.
- Shielding your face trying to protect it from being touched.
- The attacks often worsen over time, with fewer and shorter pain-free periods before they recur.
- Mandible pain or TMJ pain like feeling
Trigeminal Neuralgia treatment | Nerve pain treatment | Pain management
Earlier brain surgery was offered to patients but now most of the patients don’t need head surgery. We often start the treatment with trigeminal neuralgia medications, like carbamazepine, other anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants medicines. But
You need to call trigeminal neuralgia treatment specialist near you.
If you are suffering from trigeminal neuralgia pain and medications are proving ineffective in treating the pain or the side effects of the medicines becoming intolerable. Treatments like radiofrequency ablation or RFA treatment and some other nonsurgical treatments can save you from pain medications.
Interventional Pain and Spine Centre, Delhi, India – 110085, with its branches (contact) at Rohini, Ashok Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Pitampura, Dwarka, Paschim Vihar (Delhi) and Rohtak (Haryana) is the most advanced spine & pain clinic to treat trigeminal neuralgia without any major surgery and with minimally invasive, pinhole techniques. You can meet the best trigeminal neuralgia doctor in Delhi at our centre. In 80 % cases major brain surgery can be avoided.
To know about the most advanced, state-of-the-art and revolutionary treatments offered by our specialists, please click the following links:
To know the benefits of these latest and safest techniques, click on FAQ’s.