Is trigeminal neuralgia severe?

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

Trigeminal neuralgia is often described by people as the "world's first pain," highlighting the severity of this condition. Patients usually experience excruciating pain in the areas of the head and face served by the trigeminal nerve during activities such as washing their face, brushing their teeth, eating, drinking, combing their hair, and even in a state of rest. The pain can feel like cutting, burning, tearing, or electric shocks, making it unbearable and extremely agonizing. Clinically, trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by a sudden onset, long duration of illness, and a very slow, or even impossible, recovery. Therefore, those suffering from trigeminal neuralgia often face tremendous physical and psychological challenges. It is a serious disease.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
40sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
40sec home-news-image

Early manifestations of trigeminal neuralgia

For patients with trigeminal neuralgia, the initial symptoms mainly include sudden onset of intense pain that stops abruptly. The nature of the pain is generally sharp, resembling sharp stabbing or knife-like pain. In most cases, trigger points are easily formed on the face, commonly appearing around the bilateral nostrils and corners of the mouth as fixed trigger points. Touching these trigger points can easily trigger an attack of trigeminal neuralgia, which lasts for a relatively short duration, typically from a few seconds to several seconds. In most cases, attacks are more likely to be triggered when the patient is tired, fatigued, or under mental stress.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
50sec home-news-image

Trigeminal neuralgia physiotherapy methods

For patients with trigeminal neuralgia, in addition to pharmacological treatment, some physical therapies can also be combined, such as massage, acupressure, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and electrotherapy. These physical therapies can help reduce the incidence of trigeminal neuralgia and improve symptoms. It is recommended to undergo physical therapy under the guidance of a professional physician, which can play a supporting role. Of course, physical therapy cannot replace surgical treatment. If the goal is complete treatment, it is advised to undergo microvascular decompression surgery, which plays a crucial role in alleviating pain and stabilizing the condition. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician and do not self-medicate.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
48sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
57sec home-news-image

Trigeminal neuralgia?

Trigeminal neuralgia is not uncommon in clinical settings; pain can often occur due to compression by blood vessels or tumor tissues. In addition, infections that irritate the trigeminal nerve can also cause pain. Therefore, it is essential to make assessments based on the specific conditions. In clinical practice, the initial treatment for trigeminal neuralgia typically involves oral medications. If there is no significant improvement with oral medications, further comprehensive examinations are necessary. Treatment options may include sphenopalatine ganglion block technique, microvascular decompression surgery, and craniotomy tumor removal surgery, among other measures. Thus, for trigeminal neuralgia, there are various treatment options available that can potentially provide significant relief. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor)