The main symptom of trigeminal neuralgia is pain. It is a sudden, severe, stabbing pain. Some people describe it as feeling like an electric shock shooting through their face.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page.
February 2009. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia (accessed on 6 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

Most people feel pain in or around the cheek or jaw areas. This can include your lower eyelids, nostrils, lips and gums. Some people feel pain around the eye or forehead, but this is less common.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia using the gamma knife, 2004.
August 2004. Interventional procedure guidance 85. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/ipg85 (last accessed 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

²

The pain can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society.
The international classification of headache disorders: 2nd edition.
Cephalgia. 2004; 24 (supplement 1): S9-S160.

 

 

 

 

 

³

It usually affects just one side of your face. But about 3 in 100 people get pain on both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Zakrzewska JM.
Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia.
The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2002; 18: 14-21.

 

 

 

 

 

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Attacks of pain can come on without warning. But they can be triggered by particular actions involving the part of your face where you feel pain. You may find that some of these things trigger pain for you:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

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You may feel that you want to stay as still and quiet as possible, to avoid triggering a further attack

Your attacks may come one right after another, or they might come and go throughout the day. You might have a series of painful attacks lasting for days, weeks or even months. Or you might find they go away for a long time, sometimes for years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page.
February 2009. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia (accessed on 6 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

But even during long pain-free periods, you may find it difficult to lead a normal life because you are worried about doing anything that might bring the pain back.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
NINDS trigeminal neuralgia information page.
February 2009. Available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia (accessed on 6 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

There is no special test for trigeminal neuralgia. Your doctor will make a diagnosis from what you tell him or her about the pain.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

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These are some of the things your doctor may do to diagnose trigeminal neuralgia.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayo Clinic.
Trigeminal neuralgia.
April 2008. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446 (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

Because there is no test for trigeminal neuralgia, it is often confused with other conditions. You may need to be checked for these before the doctor can be sure that you have trigeminal neuralgia.

Some of the conditions that may be confused with trigeminal neuralgia include:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Centre for Cranial Nerve Disorders.
Your complete guide to trigeminal neuralgia.
Available at: http://www.umanitoba.ca/cranial_nerves/ccndhome.htm (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

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If your doctor is not sure about the diagnosis, he or she may suggest you go to the hospital or a radiology center for an

 

 

 

 

 

MRI scan
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine uses a magnetic field to create detailed pictures of the inside of the body. These pictures allow doctors to look at parts of the body in three-dimensional images.

 

 

 

 

 

MRI scan. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging.

MRI scanning uses a powerful magnet to take pictures of your brain. It can show whether you have blood vessels pressing on the root of your trigeminal nerve. Some doctors think this is what causes trigeminal neuralgia.

An MRI scan can also rule out a more serious cause for your pain, like a

 

 

 

 

 

stroke
You have a stroke when the blood supply to a part of your brain is cut off. This damages your brain and can cause symptoms like weakness or numbness on one side of your body. You may also find it hard to speak if you've had a stroke.

 

 

 

 

 

stroke, a brain tumor or

 

 

 

 

 

multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, or MS for short, is a disease that involves damage to the walls of nerves. No one knows for sure what causes it. If you have multiple sclerosis, you may lose feeling in certain parts of your body. You may also have trouble with your vision or controlling your movements.

 

 

 

 

 

multiple sclerosis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Zakrzewska JM.
Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia.
The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2002; 18: 14-21.

 

 

 

 

 

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MRI scanning is a very safe test. You have to lie still on a moveable bed for about 30 minutes. The bed slides inside a tube. The machine then takes the images.

If you have MRI in an enclosed scanner, you might feel a bit claustrophobic. But some of the newer units have a more "open" design, which helps. And some MRI centers allow you to have a friend or relative with you in the examination room.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Radiology Info.
Safety: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
August 2008. Available at http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/safety/mri_safety.htm (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

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You don't have to stay in the hospital. And when the test is done, you are free to go home.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Mayfield.
Magnetic resonance imaging.
June 2004. Available at http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-MRI.htm (accessed on 10 March 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

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