How to Achieve Relief from Trigeminal Neuralgia

Do you have persistent unexplained pain in your face? You may have trigeminal neuralgia, a painful condition that can severely affect your overall quality of life if left untreated. Besides facial pain, you may also experience debilitating headaches, numbness, sensitivity to touch and difficulty chewing or swallowing food. Here are three ways you may be able to achieve relief from the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia.

Medications

Medications are the best treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia. Common medications that can be used for facial pain relief include anticonvulsants and antidepressants. Steroid injections can help relieve swelling and inflammation to help you feel better. These medications have been proven to relieve up to 90% of a patient’s facial pain. You may need a combination of medications as part of your treatment plan.

Surgery

If severe symptoms fail to respond to medications, surgery can be a treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia. The pain from this condition is often caused by pressure from blood vessels near the trigeminal nerve in your face. Microvascular decompression is a highly invasive neurosurgical procedure that moves the vessels away from the nerve for pain relief. Another surgical option is glycerol injections, which can be effective in blocking pain signals.

Hot or Cold Compresses

While at home, hot or cold compresses applied to your face can help relieve your discomfort. Cold items can aggravate pain symptoms so you may need to experiment in order to determine which option is best for you. Gently press the compress to your cheeks and leave on for less than 20 minutes. Let your face rest for another 20 minutes before applying the compress again.

Effective New York Trigeminal Neuralgia Treatment

Living with severe facial pain can be frustrating and prevent you from enjoying your daily life. If you are suffering from severe facial pain, it is crucial to get an accurate diagnosis to determine the root cause. New York Facial Paralysis provides innovative treatments for trigeminal neuralgia and various forms of facial paralysis to effectively help relieve your pain in New York City. Experienced specialists work together to provide you superior care so you can live a healthy and active life. Call to schedule a consultation appointment today.