Have you heard of Trigeminal Neuralgia?



Today is International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day.
   Do you know anyone that always complains of intense facial pain? Have you thought they were faking it to have some gains, avoid work ,relinquish their task…? Please do know that trigeminal neuralgia exists and thousands of them are hoping that someone will understand their agony.
 You can help someone by just an encouragement and referral to a neurologist because this ailment is treatable .Please go on and know about it.

Trigeminal  neuralgia is also called tic douloureux ,combination of  two words derived from French -tic means muscle twitch or spasm and douloureux means painful ,this describes the disease and the English nomenclature describes the pathology-pain originating from trigeminal nerve .Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by episodes of sudden ,intense- sharp ,piercing, stabbing or shock-like pain that can occur anywhere from the mid scalp to the jaw including inside the mouth because this nerve is involved with carrying sensation from this part of the body.
  The cause of this trigeminal neuralgia is unknown in some instances,but in many cases can be from irritation of the nerve as it courses through the skull; from abnormal blood vessel pressing on the nerve ;less commonly the irritation can be from tumour in the brain ,brain supporting tissues or nerves ;stoke or facial trauma .It is also associated with multiple sclerosis as a result of multiple sclerosis-related nerve damage.
  The pain is often triggered by non-painful facial movements like in talking, eating ,washing the face, brushing the teeth, shaving or touching the face  lightly. Some people may also have trigger zones or points where an episode can be triggered by touch or temperature change .In some cases a form of aura precedes the pain-a sensation of tingling or numbness. Some patients also have cheek muscle twitching ,wincing ,facial  flush ,a tearing eye or salivation on the same side of the face. It is this facial muscle spasms that led to the older term ,tic douloureux.
  It affects women more than men and older people more than young people.It can happen to anybody.It can be relapsing-remitting type or quite continuous.
  Beware it is not a life sentence to  facial pain.

Chidimma  Rhoda
 

 

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