My husband has facial pain which our dentist diagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia. Sometimes the pain is incapacitating, and other times it doesn’t bother him at all. Is this the normal pattern for the condition?
Trigeminal neuralgia is thought to be caused by blood vessels compressing the facial nerve. This may be caused by a viral infection or in conditions affecting the outer coating of the nerves.
Trigeminal neuralgia pain can be sporadic in nature, with the attacks varying from several times daily to several times a month. In between attacks, sufferers can be pain free.
While he experiences pain around his right cheek, chin and in his lower jaw, we know someone else with trigeminal neuralgia who gets pain around her eye. Why the difference?
The trigeminal nerve has sections known as the ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular branches. Where pain is experienced depends on which branch of the nerve is affected.
Pain around the eye area usually indicates the ophthalmic branch is involved; pain around the temple area, upper cheek and part of the nose is due to the involvement of the maxillary branch.
Pain around the cheeks, chin, teeth and jaw is usually the result of the mandibular branch of the nerve being irritated.
The trigeminal nerve controls chewing movements and sensations of the face, scalp, teeth and mouth. Pain can be triggered by eating, smiling, talking, exposure to either hot or cold or even light touch.
Apart from taking painkillers, is there anything else he can do about it?
If your husband hasn’t already seen his GP about this problem, he should do so now to rule out any other cause for the pain.
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, he should try to prevent attacks by avoiding anything that triggers the problem. For example, if cold temperatures are a trigger for his facial pain, then he should avoid foods or drinks that are served at low temperatures and cover his face with a scarf when out in cold weather. Severe pain can be very disruptive to everyday life.
He should talk to his doctor about adequate pain-relief measures and may benefit from using relaxation or distraction techniques when the pain is severe.
Where pain is debilitating, a referral to a pain specialist should be considered. Where analgesia and preventative measures do not work, surgical treatment may be recommended.
