TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIATrigeminal neuralgia is often considered one of the most painful conditions seen in medicine. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN or TGN) is a severe neuropathic chronic pain disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve (also known as the fifth cranial nerve: a three-branched nerve that carries sensations from the face to the brain and controls facial motor functions such as biting and chewing).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.
CAUSES:
TN is associated with a variety of conditions. TN can be caused by a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve as it exits the brain stem. This compression causes the wearing away or damage to the protective coating around the nerve (the myelin sheath). TN symptoms can also occur in people with multiple sclerosis. Rarely, symptoms of TN may be caused by nerve compression from a tumor, or a tangle of arteries and veins called an arteriovenous malformation. Injury to the trigeminal nerve (perhaps the result of sinus surgery, oral surgery, stroke, or facial trauma) may also produce neuropathic facial pain.
SYMPTOMS OF TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA
Trigeminal neuralgia causes a sudden, severe, electric shock-like, or stabbing pain that lasts several seconds.
The pain can be felt on the face and around the lips, eyes, nose, scalp, and forehead. Usually, the pain is felt on one side of the jaw or cheek, but some people experience pain at different times on both sides.
Symptoms can be brought on when a person is brushing the teeth, putting on makeup, touching the face, swallowing, or even feeling a slight breeze.
The attacks of pain may be repeated one after the other. They may come and go throughout the day and last for days, weeks, or months at a time. At times, the attacks can disappear for months or years.
Many have been known to lose their jobs because of the debilitating nature of the pain. Marriages have dissolved due to the difficulty of providing care and support to persons with TN. Pain from TN is frequently very isolating and depressing for the individual. Depression and sleep disturbance may render individuals more vulnerable to pain and suffering. Thus, there are individual, family, and societal costs of TN.
HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT
Holistic approach towards a case of a disease is the key point in homoeopathic treatment. It not only relieves the severe excruciating pain in Trigeminal neuralgia but also cures the disease completely. Thus homoeopathy effectively helps in reducing the sick leaves too! Homeopathic remedies are prescribed by symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people.