Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that causes episodes of intense facial pain that can disrupt everyday activities. It is caused when blood vessels put pressure on your trigeminal nerve near the brainstem, the nerve that provides sensation to your head and face. This condition causes a type of neuropathic pain. Though it is not life-threatening, it can be life-altering. Hence, it is suggested that you consult a spine doctor in the city of Ranchi if you have such symptoms.
Activities as simple as talking, chewing, smiling and brushing the teeth can trigger brief episodes of intense pain. Hence, Trigeminal neuralgia is both an emotional and physical condition. It is usually chronic, but several treatments from a doctor specialist in nerves can help manage these symptoms.
Diagnosing Trigeminal Neuralgia
Since the pain caused by this condition is often felt in the teeth, jaw, or gums, most people first visit a dentist before going to a doctor specialist in nerves. The dentist will ask you about the symptoms and undertake a dental X-ray to help them investigate the facial pain. They may look for common causes of facial pain, like cracked teeth or dental infections.
Trigeminal neuralgia is commonly diagnosed mainly based on your description of the pain.
- Type of pain: Trigeminal neuralgia pain is sudden and brief and feels like an electric shock.
- Location: Parts of the face are affected by pain can indicate whether a trigeminal nerve is involved
- Triggers: Talking, eating and light touch of your face or even a cool breeze can bring on pain due to trigeminal neuralgia.
Consulting a Spine Doctor
Since there is no specific test for trigeminal neuralgia, the spine doctor in Ranchi will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and description of pain. If you have experienced attacks of facial pain, the specialist will question you about your symptoms like how often the pain attacks happen, which areas of the face are affected, and how long do the attacks last.
The doctor will also consider any other possible causes of your pain and examine your head and jaw in order to identify which parts are painful. This is an important part of diagnosing trigeminal neuralgia. Studying the symptoms and carrying out examinations will help rule out other conditions like dental and jaw problems, cluster headaches, and post-herpetic neuralgia, which is a type of nerve pain linked to shingles.
MRI Scans
An MRI scan is often used to help with the diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia. This method uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves for creating detailed images of the inside of the body. It helps identify potential causes of your facial pain, like tumours on one of the facial nerves, inflammation of the lining of the sinuses, or nerve damage. MRI scans can also detect whether a blood vessel in the head is compressing any of the trigeminal nerves, which is the most common cause of trigeminal neuralgia.
To Conclude
Facial pain can be caused due to different reasons. Hence, an accurate diagnosis is important. The spine specialist may also suggest other types of tests to rule out other conditions and ensure that the pain caused is due to trigeminal neuralgia.
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