Trigeminal Neuralgia

TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

Trigeminal neuralgia. This is a type of neuropathic pain that can cause intense episodes of facial pain that interfere with daily activities. It is usually caused by a blood vessel applying pressure to the trigeminal nerve, which provides sensation to your head and face.

TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

While TN is not life-threatening, it can have a profound impact on your life. TN is a physical and emotional condition that is usually chronic (long-term), but there are a number of treatments that can help manage your symptoms.

Signs

Trigeminal neuralgia’s primary symptom is abrupt, severe facial pain, usually on one side. The discomfort could seem like a stabbing or electric shock. During the episodes, you could also have facial muscular spasms. You might have the following symptoms in between pain episodes:
Numbness, dull achiness, burning, and throbbing.

Paroxysmal TN: You get sharp, intense, and intermittent painful episodes. Your face may hurt and/or burn during an episode, which could last anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes. Up to two hours may pass between bouts, with painless intervals in between.
Continuous pain: This kind of TN is more common but less severe and uncomfortable. Along with ongoing aches and pains, you have continuous agony, particularly burning and/or stabbing sensations. You could find it more difficult to control your symptoms if you have atypical trigeminal neuralgia.

Causes

Classic (primary) TN
Nerve compression occurs when a blood vessel, typically the superior cerebellar artery, presses against a portion of the trigeminal nerve root. It is the most typical reason.
Secondary TN
Secondary TN occurs when another illness, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), a tumor, or an arteriovenous malformation, destroys or affects your trigeminal nerve. Younger people experiencing discomfort on both sides of their faces are more likely to suffer secondary TN. Secondary instances make up only 15% of TN patients.

Diagnosis

Your healthcare professional will first inquire about your medical history and symptoms. They will perform a neurological examination as well as a physical examination of your head and neck region. They’ll probably base their diagnosis on a number of variables, such as the particular kind of pain you’re experiencing.
the precise location of the pain on your face.
which behaviors or events set off a painful episode.

Treatment

In microvascular decompression surgery, blood vessels that are putting pressure on your trigeminal nerve are released. For TN, it’s the most intrusive procedure. However, it’s also the best at long-term pain prevention.
In order to inhibit pain impulses, radiosurgery focuses radiation on the trigeminal nerve’s root. Pain from this operation may not be felt for more than a month.

Rhizotomy: In order to stop pain impulses, this surgery purposefully damages the trigeminal nerve’s root. Providers employ a variety of techniques to do this, such as chemical injection, thermocoagulation, and mechanical balloon compression. There is always some degree of facial numbness and sensory loss following this operation. For a few years, it might ease pain, but in the long run, it usually doesn’t work as well.

Summary

For fear of having severe pain attacks, you could stop doing some everyday tasks or stay away from people. Even though this is an illness that will probably affect you in some capacity for the rest of your life, there are a number of therapy alternatives that can help you resume your favorite lifestyle.