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Trigeminal Neuralgia (Facial Nerve Pain)

Trigeminal Neuralgia Overview

Trigeminal neuralgia causes facial pain. Trigeminal neuralgia develops in mid to late life. The condition is the most frequently occurring of all the nerve pain disorders. The pain, which comes and goes, feels like bursts of sharp, stabbing, electric-shocks. This pain can last from a few seconds to a few minutes.

People with trigeminal neuralgia become plagued by intermittent severe pain that interferes with common daily activities such as eating and sleep. They live in fear of unpredictable painful attacks, which leads to sleep deprivation and undereating. The condition can lead to irritability, severe anticipatory anxiety and depression, and life-threatening malnutrition. Suicidal depression is not uncommon.

People often call trigeminal neuralgia "tic douloureux" because of a characteristic muscle spasm that accompanies the pain.

  • The pain comes from one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve-the major carrier of sensory information from the face to the brain.

    • There are 3 branches of the trigeminal nerve: the ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular. The pain of trigeminal neuralgia occurs almost exclusively in the maxillary and mandibular divisions.

    • You most commonly feel pain in the maxillary nerve, which runs along your cheekbone, most of your nose, upper lip, and upper teeth. Next most commonly affected is the mandibular nerve, affecting your lower cheek, lower lip, and jaw.

  • In almost all cases (97%), pain will be restricted to one side of your face.

  • Most of the time, doctors cannot identify any disease of the trigeminal nerve or the central nervous system.

  • Trigeminal neuralgia most frequently affects women older than 50 years. The disease occurs rarely in those younger than 30 years. Such cases are usually linked to damage from diseases of central nervous system, for example, multiple sclerosis.



Next: Trigeminal Neuralgia Causes »

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Trigeminal Neuralgia (Facial Nerve Pain)

Medical Acupuncture Introduction

Acupuncture is just one of the elements that make up the discipline often referred to as traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that include techniques such as massage therapy and acupuncture, along with herbal medicine and various forms of mind-body exercise such as Daijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) and Qigong (Chi Gong).

In many states, licensed acupuncturists are independently licensed health-care practitioners. In some states, physicians who obtain additional training and qualification in acupuncture are allowed to perform acupuncture within the scope of their license to practice medicine.

  • The term medical acupuncture is used to denote the practice of acupuncture performed by a licensed physician.


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Trigeminal Neuralgia »

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common and potentially disabling pain syndrome, the precise pathophysiology of which remains obscure.

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