What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a condition in which the trigeminal nerve is affected, some of the possible causes can be compression of the nerve by blood vessels, old age, people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or similar conditions in which the myelin sheath protecting the nerve is damaged, less common causes can be trauma or tumors.
Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a condition in which the trigeminal nerve is affected, some of the possible causes can be compression of the nerve by blood vessels, old age, people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or similar conditions in which the myelin sheath protecting the nerve is damaged, less common causes can be trauma or tumors.
The trigeminal nerve has 3 branches:
Ophthalmic nerve = Upper part of the face
Maxillary nerve = Middle part of the face
Mandibular nerve = Lower part of the face
Pain is usually present on one side of the face, and pain can be felt on some or all of the branches. Attacks of severe pain can last for seconds to several minutes, the symptoms can last for days and reappear after few months.
People with TN describe feeling like electrical shock, stabbing, or burning pain on their face, with sensitivity to touch.
Conventional treatment can include the use of anticonvulsants, opioids, and as last resort surgery due to poor outcomes.
How can acupuncture help?
Most patients with TN come to see Acupuncturists as last resort before surgery.
An article from the US National Library of Medicine from the National Institutes of Health describes a typical protocol for a Successful Treatment of a Resistance Trigeminal Neuralgia Patient By Acupuncture.
A 66-year-old woman was referred with a typical TN pain on the left side of her face for 25 years. She was diagnosed with TN after evaluation and work-up by a neurologist. She used medications, including phenytoin (200 mg per day) and carbamazepine (600 mg per day). The pain was triggered by speaking, eating or touching. The pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS), which ranged from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). According to the VAS, the patient rated her pain as 10. She had, to date, experienced no beneficial effects from several therapeutic methods, including medication (carbamazepine, gabapentin and valproic acid), nerve block and radiofrequency rhizotomy of the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve. Acupuncture treatment was initiated without making any change to her drug regime. Acupuncture needles (0.20 × 13 mm needles for the face and 0.25 x 25 mm needles for the other regions) were inserted on the typical areas that are used for trigeminal neuralgia (4). For facial neuralgia, the protocol utilized local points of TH 17 and 21, GB2, SI 18, ST 2, 3 and 7, GV 26 and LI 20; systemic points included TH 5, LI 4, ST 36, ST 44, ST 45 and LIV 3. Auricular acupuncture points were also used (Shen Men, neuro, face and lung points). Needles were not manipulated, and no attempt was made to elicit De-Qi. Every treatment session lasted about forty-five minutes, three times a week. After the fourth session, she reported that she had been relieved almost pain free. By the sixth week (14 sessions), the patient was completely free of pain (VAS = 0) and was still pain free at the end of sixth month.
Always consult your Doctor first to see if Acupuncture can be an option for you, and be sure that the Acupuncturist has a valid license to practice in your state.
For License verification in California click here or visit http://www.acupuncture.ca.gov/ for more information about Acupuncture.
Always consult your Doctor first to see if Acupuncture can be an option for you, and be sure that the Acupuncturist has a valid license to practice in your state.
For License verification in California click here or visit http://www.acupuncture.ca.gov/ for more information about Acupuncture.
