How painful is trigeminal neuralgia?

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
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The trigeminal nerve is located on the human face, and trigeminal neuralgia is a common neurological disorder. The most prominent symptom of this disorder is pain that feels like needle pricks or knife cuts. This pain usually occurs very suddenly and is extremely intense. When the pain occurs, patients cannot perform any movements related to the face, severely affecting their quality of life. Moreover, sometimes even a minor movement can trigger repeated episodes of pain, placing the patient in constant severe discomfort. Therefore, trigeminal neuralgia is also referred to as "the worst pain in the world."

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Should people with trigeminal neuralgia avoid certain foods?

Patients with trigeminal neuralgia need to be cautious about their diet. In daily life, try to avoid oily, spicy, and irritating foods, as these types of foods may trigger an attack of trigeminal neuralgia or make the existing attacks more frequent, thereby causing great pain to the patient. It is recommended to choose a light diet in daily life, low in salt and fat, especially for patients with high blood pressure or diabetes, who need to be more cautious. It may be beneficial to appropriately include some fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet, and it is also suggested to supplement with some multivitamin drugs, which might enhance the effects. If trigeminal neuralgia attacks frequently, it is still recommended to visit a local hospital in a timely manner and consider undergoing microvascular decompression surgery for treatment.

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Written by Guo Zhi Fei
Neurosurgery
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Trigeminal neuralgia is divided into several branches.

Trigeminal neuralgia is anatomically divided into three branches: the first branch is the ophthalmic branch, the second branch is the maxillary branch, and the third branch is the mandibular branch. The scope of pain can be used to roughly determine which branch is affected. Generally, pain located in the forehead area is caused by the first branch, the ophthalmic branch. Pain in the area from the tip of the nose to the lips is caused by the second branch, the maxillary branch. Pain from the lips to the angle of the jaw is caused by the third branch, the mandibular branch. Therefore, we can understand which branch is in pain by the distribution area and scope of the trigeminal neuralgia.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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How to relieve trigeminal neuralgia

For patients with trigeminal neuralgia, there are many methods to achieve pain relief. For example, in the early stages of the disease, treatment can be administered through oral medication. Taking appropriate medications can effectively relieve pain and also reduce the frequency and occurrence of trigeminal neuralgia attacks. At the same time, some physical therapies such as massage, tuina, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and electrotherapy can significantly alleviate the pain. Of course, to achieve complete cure, surgical methods are recommended for treatment. We generally advise patients to undergo microvascular decompression surgery, through which the vast majority of patients can achieve good therapeutic effects.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms display

Trigeminal neuralgia typically manifests as sudden, severe facial pain, most often occurring in areas such as the upper lip, nostril, or corner of the mouth. These areas are prone to forming trigger points, and touching or stimulating these points can provoke an episode of pain. Most often, pain attacks occur when the patient is talking or eating, causing sudden cessation of the activity. The patient may experience unilateral facial muscle spasms, and reactions such as frowning, clenching teeth, opening the mouth wide, covering the eyes, or vigorously rubbing the face with the palm of the hand, leading to rough, thickened skin and eyebrow hair loss.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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trigeminal neuralgia scope

The range of trigeminal neuralgia attacks is usually located in the sensory area of the trigeminal nerve root, broadly covering both sides of the patient's nostrils and around the corners of the mouth. The nature of the pain is quite severe, often described as knife-like pain or burning pain. The duration of each pain episode varies, often starting and stopping suddenly. Around the pain area, fixed trigger points are likely to form. Accidentally touching these trigger points while brushing teeth, washing faces, or rinsing mouths can often trigger an attack of trigeminal neuralgia. Over time, due to repeatedly triggering the pain by touching these points, patients may become afraid to wash their faces or brush their teeth, and may experience facial muscle numbness or atrophy.