Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia is a disease that causes a very intense pain that manifests itself in the form of an electric shock on one side of the face. It is produced by the affectation and compression of one of the nerves in charge of transmitting the sensations of the face to the brain, the trigeminal nerve. This nerve has three branches through which it innervates the different parts of the face:

• The ophthalmic branch that picks up the sensitivity of the eye region.
• The maxillary branch that picks up sensation from the midface and cheek.
• The mandibular branch that picks up the sensitivity of the mandible.

The causes of this pain may be the malformation of a vessel, the existence of a tumor that compresses the nerve in its path or diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Characteristics of trigeminal neuralgia pain:

• Episodes of intense, stabbing pain in the form of electric shock.
• Areas of pain: cheeks, jaw, teeth, gums, lips, eyes and forehead.
• They may be accompanied by very limiting facial spasms.
• It usually presents on one side of the face (unilateral).
• It can be triggered spontaneously or provoked by common everyday gestures.
• The attacks are transient and last from a few seconds to minutes.
• The pain usually does not occur at night.

The manifestation of this pain occurs after small typical daily acts such as touching the face, smiling, brushing the teeth or shaving. Mild stimulation can trigger this intense pain that usually lasts for seconds but tends to recur many times during the day for the duration of the crisis.