Symptoms and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

The triple nerve is located on the face - it consists of the ophthalmic branch, the mandibular and maxillary. How does trigeminal neuralgia manifest itself - the symptoms and treatment of pathology? How to provide first aid, to reduce the attack of pain?

• Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve - what is it
• What is dangerous is neuralgia
• How is the disease manifested?
• Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve during pregnancy
• Neuralgia in children
• Diagnostics
• Medication Therapy
• Physiotherapeutic and radical therapies
• Home Treatment
• How to treat neuralgia with herbs
• Prevention
• How to eat with neuralgia

Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve - what is it

The triple nerve is the fifth pair of cranial nerves, it has 3 branches. When the eye branch is affected, the pain syndrome affects the forehead, the temporal region. Inflammation of the second branch will cause unpleasant sensations in the nose, facial muscles. With neuralgia of the third branch, the chin and lower jaw suffer. Joint inflammation of the second and third branches leads to the occurrence of severe toothache.

There are different types:

1. Idiopathic neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve (primary) is a pathology that occurs against the background of compression of the nerve roots, poor blood supply.
2. Essential neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve develops independently, regardless of the presence in the body of any pathological changes.
3. Secondary neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve develops against the background of other infectious and viral diseases.

Important!Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve can arise for completely different reasons. The disease is most often diagnosed in women older than 40 years.

The main causes of occurrence:

• hypothermia - often occurs in lovers walking in winter without a headdress;
• trauma to the face or head;
• brain tumors, aneurysms - are characteristic for atypical neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve;
• foci of inflammation in the oral cavity, poor-quality dentures;
• shingles is a viral disease, which, with a weakening of protective functions, is activated, postherpetic neuralgia develops;
• elevated cholesterol - cholesterol plaques clog vessels that feed the trigeminal nerve.

The cause of the trigeminal nerve pathology can be tuberculosis, diabetes, gout. Herpetic neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve develops against the background of herpes, with this type of pathology the eye nerve often suffers, rashes appear in the form of small vesicles, signs of intoxication appear, and the temperature rises.

In neuralgia, the ICD-10 code is presented in two classes:

• G - diseases of the nervous system;
• M - diseases of the musculoskeletal and connective tissue.

Neuralgia of the facial trigeminal nerve belongs to class G50.0.

What is dangerous is neuralgia

The main consequences are strong, prolonged pain, paralysis of facial muscles, development of facial asymmetry. Against the background of the pain syndrome people are afraid to take food, which negatively affects the condition of the whole organism as a whole.

Important!Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve is dangerous causes that caused pathology, so careful diagnosis is necessary.

How is the disease manifested?

With neuralgia, the symptoms of the disease are not difficult to notice, they affect one of the half of the face, accompanied by severe inflammation and pain. The localization of unpleasant sensations depends on which particular branch of the nerve is affected.

The main signs of neuralgia:

• sharp attacks of pain, which last about 3 minutes, then the pain goes away, there are aching sensations;
• muscle spasms - the face becomes asymmetric;
• loss of sensation, numbness;
• increased anxiety.

Important!The occurrence of attacks does not have a clear time interval, the cause of aggravation of pain can be eating, talking. They always appear on one side of the face, rarely throwing themselves on another part.

Untypical manifestations of neuralgia are called constant pain sensations, which do not subside. This form of the disease is most difficult to treat. Against the backdrop of a severe attack of pain, reddening of the skin on the face can begin, lacrimation, sweating, and the appearance of puffiness may increase.

How to remove the pain quickly? To stop the pain, sodium oxybutyrate is used, which is injected intravenously by ambulance workers. The drug acts quickly, but has a short action - in 2-3 hours the pain returns.

Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve during pregnancy

Neuralgia often occurs in pregnant women. The main cause is swelling of the face, which leads to pinching the nerve roots. Among other causes of the development of pathology stress and increased nervous stress, the restructuring of the hormonal background, changes in the balance of microelements.

Important!Neurology itself is not dangerous for the mother and baby, the danger represents a psychological state in severe attacks of pain.

Since the signs of neuralgia are similar to some dental and ENT diseases, it is necessary to consult with the appropriate specialists. With an incomprehensible etiology of pain, tomography can be prescribed, which will help to exclude the presence of a brain tumor or multiple sclerosis.

Drug therapy is aimed at eliminating the pain syndrome. Virtually the entire pregnancy can take Paracetamol as an anesthetic.

From the second trimester, you can take Diclofenac - a more powerful drug, but it is unsafe for the baby. Additionally, it is recommended to take complexes that contain B vitamins. Papaverin and No-shpa - antispasmodics, which reduce vascular blood filling.

Neuralgia in children

Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve in children is diagnosed less often than in adults. In newborns, the disease can be a consequence of birth trauma. Older children develop secondary neuralgia on the background of injuries, influenza, sinusitis, dental and jaw diseases.

With defeat of the trigeminal nerve, babies can not completely close and open the jaw, become restless, sleep badly. In children, often there is increased sweating, there is redness of the skin.

Treatment is difficult, because many painkillers can cause dysbiosis and avitaminosis in the child. Doctors try to resort to strong medicines in extreme cases, often use physiotherapy and homeopathic remedies.

Diagnostics

Drug therapy can eliminate the pain syndrome, but with neuralgia it is necessary to identify and eliminate the underlying cause of the disease. Otherwise, the attacks of pain will become sharper, appear more often.

Basic diagnostic methods:

1. Consultation of a neurologist. The doctor determines the further types of examination based on the results of the initial examination.
2. Dental examination. Neuralgia often occurs against the background of dental diseases, poor-quality prostheses.
3. Panoramic X-ray of the skull and teeth. Helps to see the formation that could pinch the nerve.
4. MRI. The study helps to see the structure of the nerves, the presence and localization of vascular pathologies, various types of tumors.
5. Electromyography - is designed to study the characteristics of the passage of impulses along the nerve.
6. The analysis of blood - allows to exclude a virus origin of pathological changes in a trigeminal nerve.

Medication Therapy

Treatment of neuralgia is aimed at suppressing the activity of nerve cells, eliminating pain and spasms.

Carbamazepine (Zeptol, Tegretol, Finlepsin) is an inexpensive but effective medicine. The drug anesthetizes, eliminates spasms, but has a high toxicity, so it is not recommended to use during pregnancy. Negatively affects the work of many systems in the body, but allows you to quickly cure the trigeminal neuralgia.

During treatment with carbamazepine, grapefruit should not be consumed, as the fruit intensifies the manifestation of adverse drug reactions. To enhance the effect, it is recommended to take carbamazepine together with Pipolphen. The duration of treatment rarely exceeds 30 days.

Other types of drugs:

• anticonvulsants - Phenibut, Baclofen;
• tranquilizers - Dizepam;
• Neuroleptics - Pimozide;
• Vazotonics are prescribed for brain damage - Trental, Nicotinic acid.

In addition to the tablets, vitamin A injections of ascorbic acid, B vitamins are used in therapy. As anesthetic agents use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of injections or tablets - Neurodiclavitis, Milgama.

Antidepressants in neuralgia - Amitriptyline, help to eliminate nervous tension and stressful condition of the patient. Broad-spectrum antibiotics - Ceftriaxone, Gerpevir, are prescribed for the viral origin of neuralgia. To improve metabolic processes, prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques, Atoris is prescribed.

Independently you can take painkillers with a mild effect - Aspirin, Paracetamol, provided that there are no individual contraindications.

Physiotherapeutic and radical therapies

With neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve, you need to know not only how to treat the disease, but also what methods will help prevent a relapse of the disease. Physiotherapy and quantum therapy will help to eliminate unpleasant manifestations of the disease, they can be used for people of any age.

Main methods:

1. Pulsed massager darsonval is designed to eliminate battles and inflammation, it acts directly on the roots of nerve endings. The drug can be used at home.
2. Laser treatment is a therapeutic method with a minimum of contraindications. Allows to stop pain syndrome, to eliminate puffiness.
3. UHF - the method is intended for deep warming of tissues, they are used only for the subsiding manifestation of pain syndrome.
4. Light therapy - helps with prolonged exacerbation of neuralgia.
5. Massage - enters the system of complex treatment, the procedure is carried out very carefully, all movements begin with a healthy part of the face.
6. DMV-therapy - helps cells better absorb oxygen, improves protective functions of the body, eliminates inflammatory processes.
7. Electrophoresis with pain medication or vitamin preparations - drugs are injected directly into the inflamed nerve endings, used when tablets can not be used.

If conservative treatment and physiotherapy do not bring relief, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. During surgery, they can break the trigeminal nerve, remove the vessels that come in contact with the nerve endings of the inflamed nerve.

With radio frequency ambulation, the effect on the nerve node occurs at high temperatures. The operation is performed under local anesthesia, the pain completely recedes in a month.

The most modern form of surgical intervention is a radiosurgical operation. With the help of cyberknife, the flow of photons is directed directly to the site of the inflammatory focus.

Home Treatment

Treatment with folk remedies means warming up at home, phytotherapy, the use of oils and juices.

You can warm the facial nerve with a boiled egg, roasted buckwheat, salt. But this can not be done in the acute stage of the disease.

How to treat neuralgia with herbs

Anti-inflammatory analgesic qualities have chamomile tea - brew 220 ml of boiling water 3 g of inflorescences. Keep warm tea in your mouth for as long as possible until the pain recedes slightly.

Altey

Althaeus is used for compresses. Pour 250 ml of cool water 12 g of grass, leave until the evening. Soak a piece of tissue in infusion, attach to face, fix with parchment and warm handkerchief. Hold the compress for 1.5 hours.

Fir oil

Fir oil is an analgesic. It is necessary during the day to rub it into the inflamed areas. The duration of therapy is 3 days. The skin may become slightly red, but cramps and pain will not bother.

To eliminate paralysis of facial muscles, you need to eat 15 grams of puree from fresh dates 3 times a day, wash it with warm milk or water.

Raspberries

An anti-inflammatory drug can be made from raspberries. Grind 50 g of crimson leaves, pour 150 ml of vodka, insist 9 days. Take 5 ml of medication before meals for 3 months.

Prevention

Preventive measures include the protection of the face from drafts, hypothermia, strong wind. For people with neuralgia, permanent strengthening of immunity is important, since the disease often develops against the background of a weakening of the protective functions of the body.

Exercises with neuralgia will help to remove the pain. You need to do it twice a day, every exercise should be repeated 6 times. The muscles of the healthy part of the face should be pressed with the palm of your hand, all efforts during gymnastics should be directed to the inflamed part of the face.

Complex of exercises:

1. Close your eyes, count to 10.
2. Slowly draw eyebrows to the bridge of the nose.
3. To show surprise.
4. Inflate strongly the wings of the nose.
5. Put your index fingers on the side of the nose, on inhalation, resist air currents.
6. Smile widely.
7. With closed lips utter the sound "and".
8. On inhaling inflate cheeks, count to 10.
9. Do broad movements of the tongue in a circle, touching the surface of the cheeks and teeth.

How to eat with neuralgia

Nutrition is an important component of any medical process. With neuralgia, doctors recommend adhering to diet number 12. The diet should contain more foods that contain B group vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. Alcoholic, carbonated and energy drinks are strictly prohibited.

Tea and coffee at the time of treatment is best replaced with herbal teas, broth of wild rose, natural juices - these drinks strengthen immunity, have a mild diuretic effect.

Prohibited products:

• refractory fats;
• Spicy sauces, vegetables, spices and spices;
• cheese, boiled eggs;
• chocolate;
• baked pastry with cream;
• smoked, salted, fried fish.

It is allowed to consume legumes and nuts, coarse bread, dairy and sour-milk products, cereals, seasonal vegetables.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a real test for a person. Unexpected pain attacks exhaust and frighten. Timely contact with a doctor, properly selected therapy will help quickly get rid of an unpleasant disease.