Trigeminal Neuralgia Pain: Diagnosis And Treatment

There are in fact several disorders involving the nerves in your body that your risk increases for as you get older, and trigeminal neuralgia is just one. Its main symptoms are often described by sufferers as stabbing pains that are almost electric in nature that can last from seconds to minutes, and even longer in rarer instances. So then just what is it that causes it in the first place?

The source of the pain is a nerve called the trigeminal nerve that carries feelings of sensation between the face and the brain. Now as stated above, adults are at greater risk as they age but it can effect virtually anyone at any age. It also has many causes. Some of which are understood and treatable while others remain a mystery and because of that are less easily treated.

For instance the disease multiple sclerosis is often a cause of this painful nerve disorder. However, because that disease in itself is incurable, so too is this nerve disorder that it causes. Then again, something as simple as a growth or a herniated blood vessel that subsequently puts pressure on the nerve can be another cause that’s also more easily treated with surgery. Successful treatments also seem to take place more often on sufferers under the age of 40.

The pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia is always confined to the face, with the left side being far more prone to it. Pain that can be centered around the eyes but that also can migrate to the cheek or the lower mandible. Even the act of touching the skin surface can trigger an attack, as well as functions like chewing food or brushing your teeth.

Now of course common pain medications do work to a degree depending on their strength and also muscle relaxer have been shown to be effective as well. There’s always the option of surgery as well, and that for sure holds true when the pain is caused by a problem blood vessel pushing up against the nerve. Still yet, another surgical option is to simply cut the nerve.

In the end the bottom line, is that success in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia depends on its cause. Those caused by a bloated blood vessel, cyst or tumor are among the most successfully treated by surgery to remove the problem. However, when it’s caused by an underlying disease the level of success in treating the disease that is causing it is critical.

Learn more about trigeminal neuralgia treatment options. Stop by Frank Scherer’s site where you can find out all about trigeminal neuralgia and how you can address this.