Trigeminal myalgia is a painful condition affecting the nerves in the head and face, causing sudden outbursts of intense facial pain. It is treated with medications and surgery, and can be diagnosed through physical exams and CT scans.
Trigeminal myalgia, also called trigeminal neuralgia or tic douloureux, is a painful condition that affects the nerves in the head and face. Causes sudden outbursts of intense facial pain. Doctors treat trigeminal myalgia with medications and surgery.
The trigeminal nerve, or fifth cranial nerve, carries information between the brain and the face. This nerve has three branches. The ophthalmic branch sends sensory information to the forehead, eyebrows and eyelids; the maxillary branch transmits sensations to the nose, cheekbones, upper lip and upper jaw; and the mandibular branch carries information to the lower cheek, lower lip and lower jaw.
Trigeminal myalgia usually affects the maxillary branch, but some patients experience pain in the mandibular branch instead. The condition occurs more often in middle-aged and older women. Some younger patients may develop trigeminal myalgia if they have a primary degenerative nerve disease such as multiple sclerosis.
This condition is characterized by rapid and repeated outbursts of intense throbbing or stabbing pain. Many patients describe it as feeling like an electric shock. It usually only hurts one side of the face. The attacks vary in duration and frequency, depending on the patient, but tend to worsen in both length and severity as the disorder progresses.
Daily activities such as chewing or swallowing food, brushing your teeth, being outdoors in the wind, or washing your face can all lead to attacks. Episodes usually occur during waking hours. Some individuals lose body mass or become dehydrated because they would rather avoid eating or drinking than deal with the pain.
Trigeminal myalgia is not life-threatening, but some patients with this disorder become depressed and fearful. They fear attacks and avoid activities that might trigger the pain. Some people even commit suicide.
A doctor usually performs a physical exam to rule out other conditions before diagnosing a patient with trigeminal myalgia. Your doctor might order computed tomography (CT) scans to rule out other neurological problems such as a brain tumor. He or she might also recommend the patient see a dentist.
Doctors treat trigeminal myalgia symptoms with drugs such as carbamazepine, a drug commonly used to prevent seizures. Doctors treat severe cases by surgically cutting or freezing nerves. This offers the patient only a temporary respite from pain; the condition usually recurs within a year of surgery.
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