Your Premier Chiropractor in Westminster Colorado!

Overview

●       Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that causes painful sensations similar to an electric shock on one side of the face.

●       This chronic pain condition affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain.

●       If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or putting on makeup — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain.

●       You may initially experience short, mild attacks. But trigeminal neuralgia can progress and cause longer, more-frequent bouts of searing pain.

●       Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it’s more likely to occur in people who are older than 50.

●       Because of the variety of treatment options available, having trigeminal neuralgia doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doomed to a life of pain. Doctors usually can effectively manage trigeminal neuralgia with medications, injections or surgery.

Symptoms

Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms may include one or more of these patterns:

●     Episodes of severe, shooting or jabbing pain that may feel like an electric shock

●     Spontaneous attacks of pain or attacks triggered by things such as touching the face, chewing, speaking or brushing teeth

●     Attacks of pain lasting from a few seconds to several minutes

●     Pain that occurs with facial spasms

●     Bouts of multiple attacks lasting days, weeks, months or longer — some people have periods when they experience no pain

●     Pain in areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve, including the cheek, jaw, teeth, gums, lips, or less often the eye and forehead

●     Pain affecting one side of the face at a time

●     Pain focused in one spot or spread in a wider pattern

●     Pain rarely occurring at night while sleeping

●     Attacks that become more frequent and intense over time

Causes

●       In trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, the trigeminal nerve’s function is disrupted.

●       Usually, the problem is contact between a normal blood vessel — in this case, an artery or a vein — and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain. This contact puts pressure on the nerve and causes it to malfunction.

●       While compression by a blood vessel is one of the more common causes of trigeminal neuralgia, there are many other potential causes as well. Some may be related to multiple sclerosis or a similar disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting certain nerves.

●       Trigeminal neuralgia can also be caused by a tumor compressing the trigeminal nerve.

●       Some people may experience trigeminal neuralgia due to a brain lesion or other abnormalities. In other cases, surgical injuries, stroke or facial trauma may be responsible for trigeminal neuralgia.

Triggers

A variety of triggers may set off the pain of trigeminal neuralgia, including:

●     Shaving

●     Touching your face

●     Eating

●     Drinking

●     Brushing your teeth

●     Talking

●     Putting on makeup

●     Breeze lightly blowing over your face

●     Smiling

●     Washing your face

Diagnosis

Your doctor will diagnose trigeminal neuralgia mainly based on your description of the pain, including:

●     Type. Pain related to trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, shock-like and brief.

●     Location. The parts of your face that are affected by pain will tell your doctor if the trigeminal nerve is involved.

●     Triggers. Trigeminal neuralgia-related pain usually is brought on by eating, talking, light touch of your face or even encountering a cool breeze.

Your doctor may conduct many tests to diagnose trigeminal neuralgia and determine underlying causes for your condition, including:

●     A neurological examination. Touching and examining parts of your face can help your doctor determine exactly where the pain is occurring and — if you appear to have trigeminal neuralgia — which branches of the trigeminal nerve may be affected. Reflex tests also can help your doctor determine if your symptoms are caused by a compressed nerve or another condition.

●     Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Your doctor may order an MRI scan of your head to determine if multiple sclerosis or a tumor is causing trigeminal neuralgia. In some cases, your doctor may inject a dye into a blood vessel to view the arteries and veins and highlight blood flow.

Your facial pain may be caused by many different conditions, so an accurate diagnosis is important. Your doctor may order additional tests to rule out other conditions.

Our expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating trigeminal neuralgia and are your source for expert treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in Westminster and Denver Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your Premier destination for trigeminal neuralgia treatment in Westminster Colorado and Denver Colorado Chiropractor.