Sudden pain in the face? Behind it is a disease could be stuck

The pain comes suddenly and it hurts: In the case of a so-called trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve triggers in the face of strong attacks of Pain. If medicines are not striking, often helps only a surgical procedure.

  • In the case of a trigeminal neuralgia, the Affected person suffers from severe pain attacks in the face.
  • Physicians distinguish between an idiopathic and a symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia.
  • There are many possible causes for trigeminal neuralgia.

A trigeminal neuralgia is not a migraine

Strong facial pain can occur in migraine patients-lightning-like, stabbing pain in the face, however, suggest not to migraine, but to a trigeminal neuralgia. In the case of a trigeminal neuralgia, the nerve reports the trigeminal nerve to the brain, the strongest pain, although there is no obvious source of Pain. The result is a strong, usually recurrent attacks of Pain, especially in the area of the cheeks, the lips, the tongue and the masticatory muscles.

The Name trigeminal neuralgia consists of the following terms:

  • Trigeminal nerve (Latin for Drilling): As the trigeminal nerve is the fifth cranial nerve, the picks into three Branches.
  • Neuralgia (Greek for nerve pain): neuralgia refers to pain that is limited to the territory of one particular nerve in case of trigeminal neuralgia in the facial nerve.

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Doctors distinguish idiopathic from symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia. When idiopathic, the cause is usually unknown. The symptomatic may be the result of an inflammatory process, for example, in the case of Multiple sclerosis or a brain tumor. This Form of the disease is, however, very rare.

Women, unfortunately, more common to trigeminal neuralgia than men. Most people are affected after the age of 40 years, the disease can occur in children.

Pain attacks due to Chewing or Swallowing

The trigeminal neuralgia results in a lightning-like pain including in the facial nerve. The pain may last from a few seconds up to two minutes. Patients rate the pain on a scale of zero to ten, with the strongest level. In addition to the pain can extend to the facial muscles, the skin reddening and watering eyes.

The attacks may come on suddenly and for no reason occur, however, they can also be “triggered”, that is, by an activity trigger, such as, for example, Chewing, touching, brushing the teeth, Swallowing, or cold and heat stimuli.

The attacks of Pain can can within the shortest period of time, ten, sometimes even 20 times, repeat. These attacks can occur in the worst case, up to a hundred Times a day. How often do you return to is different. 29 percent of the patients suffer from, even only once in a trigeminal neuralgia. In between, there is usually a prolonged pain-free intervals. This can last days, weeks, or even years.

Due to the strong and often unpredictable pain and the associated emotional strain, suffering, Affected, often to a Depression.

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Pain may be due to pressure between the blood vessel and trigeminal nerve

The pain takes its course along the Trigeminusnervs that divides the brain into three Branches. They lead to the eye region and the Under – and upper jaw. Physicians assume, that in the case of a trigeminal neuralgia presses a blood vessel in the head on the trigeminal nerve. The pulsating movement of the vessel through the blood stream triggers the nerve a severe pain stimulus. However, this is only one of many possible causes.

Therapy by epilepsy medicines or surgery

A trigeminal neuralgia treated by a doctor, either medically or surgically. The idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia treated mostly with drugs. He operates only when the drugs hit in the patient. In the case of symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia he chooses the therapy depending on the underlying cause, for example, he treats the Multiple sclerosis.

Common painkillers, such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, do not beat in a trigeminal neuralgia. In addition, the effect of these drugs develops to late. Since the attacks in the case of a trigeminal neuralgia may occur spontaneously, and acute, had to take the Patient to the drug as a preventive measure.

First and foremost, the doctor prescribes the drug carbamazepine. This is an anti-epileptic drug, and is mainly found in the epilepsy therapy application. Alternative active ingredients Oxcarbazepine and Baclofen. A combination of the above-mentioned active substances is possible. In addition, there are a number of other drugs, use doctors in the respective case.

The above-mentioned drugs cause the patient no improvement, a surgical procedure is out of the question. There are three possibilities:

  • The Microvascular decompression causes damage to the trigeminal nerve. There is, however, open to the skull. This method doctors are only for people who are in good physical condition. The success rate is 98 percent, and 20 years after SURGERY, it is still 67 percent.
  • At the time of Percutaneous Thermocoagulation to destroy physicians with the help of a probe and heat-pain fibers of the nerves in the Ganglion Gasseri, the is of the Nerve ganglia of the trigeminal nerve and the bundles of the nerve fibers. The success rate is more than 90 percent after ten years, she is still at 70 percent to 80 percent.
  • The radio surgical procedures of the trigeminal nerve irradiated. The success rate is 86 percent, and after three years it is 75 percent.

What are the medical or surgical treatment is out of the question, should be Concerned, discuss with your doctor.