Trigeminal nerve pain, or trigeminal neuralgia, can be confused with other pathologies. We think it’s a good idea for you to know more about it so you can see a specialist and get the most appropriate treatment for your case.
The trigeminal nerve is part of the central nervous system. It starts at the base of the skull and is divided into three branches. Each of the branches of the trigeminal nerve controls a different area of the face: jaw, cheekbones, nose and chin.
Symptoms of trigeminal nerve pain
Attacks of trigeminal nerve pain, caused by a condition called trigeminal neuralgia, are usually brief and intense. In fact, the attack of facial pain may last only a few seconds, but it is so intense that it can seriously impact your quality of life.
Although the pain can affect any of the areas controlled by the nerve, the most commonly affected area of the face is the jaw. The pain can be triggered by the most basic actions such as chewing, swallowing, talking, laughing or brushing your teeth, which makes it easy to understand how seriously it can affect a person’s quality of life.
As we said at the beginning, it is important to see a doctor if you suffer any of these symptoms, in order to get a proper diagnosis. This is the only way to rule out other pathologies that can also cause similar stabbing pain, for example oral problems, headaches or cervical spine tension, among others.
Causes of trigeminal nerve pain
The primary cause of this pain is the superior cerebellar artery crossing over the trigeminal nerve, and producing pressure on it. Blood vessels next to the nerve can also put pressure on it.
Other, much less frequent, causes of trigeminal nerve pain are tumors, multiple sclerosis or the Herpes-Zoster virus. At Instituto Clavel, we study each case thoroughly to make the correct diagnosis, identifying the cause of the pain in order to be able to recommend the most appropriate treatment.
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Treatments for trigeminal nerve pain
If the cause of the nerve pain is determined to be neuralgia of the nerve, that is, pressure on the nerve as described above, the primary goal of the treatment will be pain relief. If, on the other hand, the cause is any of the other pathologies mentioned above, the patient would be referred to the appropriate specialist to have that pathology treated.
In the following, we explain the different ways to treat trigeminal neuralgia.
1. Pain relief medication
The first step in treating nerve pain is through medication. There are several medications used, such as carbamazepine, gabapentin or oxcarbazepine, among others. If this treatment gives good results, in principle, nothing more will be necessary. However, if the pain continues, other treatment options will be considered.
2. Microvascular decompression
This neurosurgical technique offers permanent results and has a high success rate, which is why it is one of the preferred approaches at Instituto Clavel for cases when pain relief medication is not enough.
In this procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision behind the ear to insert prosthetic material between the artery and the nerve, thus eliminating the contact between the two and relieving the pressure that causes pain.
3. Other techniques to relieve the pain
If microvascular decompression is not possible, there are other surgical procedures that can help reduce pain, such as radiofrequency or balloon compression of the Gasserian ganglion.
The results of these alternatives are not permanent, but they do provide significant pain relief, which improves the patient’s quality of life. In these procedures, the patient is sedated, and the surgeon makes a small hole in the base of the skull, guided by intraoperative X-rays.
At Instituto Clavel, we have experienced specialists in all of the treatments described here, and for any stage of the condition. It is important to note, that for all of these treatments, we use a follow-up process with the patient, to be sure that the attacks of facial pain have disappeared or diminished, and if not, we will recommend trying the other options.
More information on trigeminal nerve pain
Categories: Surgery, Pain Management, Instituto Clavel