Facial Pain
What Causes Facial Pain? Diagnosis and Treatments
The face is a very sensitive part of the body and can easily be affected by external stimulation. Unfortunately, this also means it is prone to extreme pain. The complexity of the various organs, muscles, and nerves in the face can make it hard to pinpoint the exact issues causing the pain.
How can facial pain be caused, and how can it be treated?
There are many explanations behind the onset of facial pain. Here are just a few of the underlying issues behind your pain.
Classic Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN)
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the most common causes of facial pain. TN appears in the form of intense pain and muscle spasms in the face that can last from a few seconds to several minutes. It can happen without warning or can be triggered when certain parts of the face are touched.
The exact cause for TN is unknown, though the pain is triggered by a severely damaged nerve. TN often occurs after a severe facial injury resulting in a nerve becoming damaged. However, the nerve can become damaged on its own over time as well.
The trigeminal nerve provides sensation to the face and stems directly from the brainstem into the face.
There are three separate branches that these divide into, supplying sensation to various parts of the face.
These include the ophthalmic division, the maxillary division, and the mandibular division.
If the trigeminal nerve becomes irritated, it can result in severe facial pain, twitching around the affected areas, and a sensation like pins and needles. This pain can last hours in serious circumstances and can have a major effect on your life. Worse yet, the disease can progress and your symptoms can become worse over time.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the most common causes of facial pain. TN appears in the form of intense pain and muscle spasms in the face that can last from a few seconds to several minutes. It can happen without warning or can be triggered when certain parts of the face are touched.
The exact cause for TN is unknown, though the pain is triggered by a severely damaged nerve. TN often occurs after a severe facial injury resulting in a nerve becoming damaged. However, the nerve can become damaged on its own over time as well.
The trigeminal nerve provides sensation to the face and stems directly from the brainstem into the face.
There are three separate branches that these divide into, supplying sensation to various parts of the face.
These include the ophthalmic division, the maxillary division, and the mandibular division.
If the trigeminal nerve becomes irritated, it can result in severe facial pain, twitching around the affected areas, and a sensation like pins and needles. This pain can last hours in serious circumstances and can have a major effect on your life. Worse yet, the disease can progress and your symptoms can become worse over time.
What Is Atypical Facial Pain?
Atypical facial pain is a broad umbrella term for any face pain aside from trigeminal neuralgia. It can stem from a variety of different causes and can present itself differently. While the exact cause for atypical facial pain is unknown, there are a few reasons doctors speculate could be behind it.
What Is Atypical Facial Pain?
Atypical facial pain is a broad umbrella term for any face pain aside from trigeminal neuralgia. It can stem from a variety of different causes and can present itself differently. While the exact cause for atypical facial pain is unknown, there are a few reasons doctors speculate could be behind it.
What Is Facial Pain a Symptom of?
Facial pain is often a symptom of another underlying issue rather than a problem on its own. The symptoms of atypical facial pain can include, but are not limited to:
- Oral infection or infection along the gumline
- An ulcer (open sore) on or beneath the skin
- An abscess on the skin or inside of the mouth
- A headache or migraine
- A severe facial injury
- A toothache
- Jaw pain
- Nerve pain
- Vascular pain caused by poor blood circulation in the face
Your doctor can help you narrow down the potential causes of your facial pain with a thorough examination.
Can Facial Pain Be Caused by Stress?
Links have been found between high stress or anxiety levels and increased facial pain.
The tightness of the muscles in your face, as well as strain on the eyes and ears, can cause pain after an extended period of time. If your facial pain has started suddenly, you may want to take a break from anything that might be causing you undue stress.
Can Facial Pain Be Caused by Stress?
Links have been found between high stress or anxiety levels and increased facial pain.
The tightness of the muscles in your face, as well as strain on the eyes and ears, can cause pain after an extended period of time. If your facial pain has started suddenly, you may want to take a break from anything that might be causing you undue stress.
How Is Facial Pain Diagnosed?
Getting a proper diagnosis for facial pain can be difficult, but doctors have a few ways to diagnose the issue. The most common method is through a physical examination. The doctor will feel along your face, head, and neck to pinpoint any areas that are causing pain in order to get a better idea of potential causes.
Physical examinations can also help to locate hidden tumors or compressed nerves. Your doctor may also use this examination to talk about the pain you’re experiencing, including feelings of numbness or tingling.
If a physical examination is unable to lead to a proper diagnosis, your doctor may request an MRI scan. This will allow your doctor to get a better view of your nerves, spine, and neck to diagnose any abnormalities.
This is usually used to identify trigeminal neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, or tumors, as these issues can be better viewed with 3D imagery.
Finally, your doctor may require you to take an MRA scan. This will show the blood vessels in your head and neck, making it easier for your doctor to locate abnormalities within these blood vessels. An abnormal blood vessel could be adding pressure to a nerve, resulting in facial pain.
Sometimes facial pain is brought on by psychological or mental disorders, which can be much harder to diagnose in a clinical setting. If your doctor is unable to find any reason behind your facial pain, going to a psychologist may be a good second option for you.
Getting a proper diagnosis for facial pain can be difficult, but doctors have a few ways to diagnose the issue. The most common method is through a physical examination. The doctor will feel along your face, head, and neck to pinpoint any areas that are causing pain in order to get a better idea of potential causes.
Physical examinations can also help to locate hidden tumors or compressed nerves. Your doctor may also use this examination to talk about the pain you’re experiencing, including feelings of numbness or tingling.
If a physical examination is unable to lead to a proper diagnosis, your doctor may request an MRI scan. This will allow your doctor to get a better view of your nerves, spine, and neck to diagnose any abnormalities.
This is usually used to identify trigeminal neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, or tumors, as these issues can be better viewed with 3D imagery.
Finally, your doctor may require you to take an MRA scan. This will show the blood vessels in your head and neck, making it easier for your doctor to locate abnormalities within these blood vessels. An abnormal blood vessel could be adding pressure to a nerve, resulting in facial pain.
Sometimes facial pain is brought on by psychological or mental disorders, which can be much harder to diagnose in a clinical setting. If your doctor is unable to find any reason behind your facial pain, going to a psychologist may be a good second option for you.
Symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia
TN often starts off with short bursts of intense pain in the forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, jaw, or throat. It can appear in more than one location depending on the severity of the illness. Your doctor can get a better understanding of which nerves are affected based on the location of your pain.
The pain is described as starting off as pins and needles, gradually growing in severity until it feels closer to an electric shot or jabbing pain in the face. Once an individual has been afflicted long enough, these attacks can last for hours at a time.
Everyday activities can trigger these attacks. The most sensitive places on people with TN include the mouth, nose, lips, ears, eyes, or inside of the mouth.
The pain caused by TN will usually only affect one side of the face. The symptoms may persist for days before falling into remission, only to appear again months or years later. The frequency of the attacks has a high likelihood to increase over time as well.
How Can Facial Pain Be Treated?
There are several different ways that you can be treated for facial pain. Here are some of the options at your disposal to help relieve you from your pain.
For those who suffer from TN, there are medications that you can use to relieve your symptoms. Unfortunately, over the counter medications such as Advil are not effective against TN. Your doctor will prescribe anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants to help your muscle spasms and relieve any pain from the illness.
Atypical facial pain can often be relieved with over the counter medications and won’t require an actual prescription. However, pain that is caused by infections, abscesses, or other serious afflictions may require anti-viral medications or other prescription medicines. Your doctor will be able to advise the right medications depending on your individual needs.
Pain can be relieved through calming practices as well as medications. Physical therapy can be done either at home or in the clinic and can be used to relax the facial muscles. Behavioral therapy may also be necessary for certain illnesses.
TN often requires surgery to fix. There are various types of surgeries that you can undergo in order to relieve your pain. The type of surgery you receive will depend on the root cause behind your TN.
Microvascular decompression (MVD) involves shifting a blood vessel away from the affected nerve to prevent it from compressing the nerve and causing pain. This is performed by cutting a small hole into the skull and separating the nerve from the blood vessel, then protecting the nerve with a sponge or similar material. This should prevent the blood vessel from compressing the nerve in the future.
Sensory rhizotomy is a more extreme procedure involving cutting the affected nerve. After using a probe to protect the motor root of the nerve, the sensory root will be irreversibly cut, preventing it from sending pain signals to the brain. Unfortunately, this procedure will cause permanent numbness to that portion of the face, so you may want to consider other potential options first.
Finally, radiosurgery is a form of non-invasive surgery that can be used to direct highly intensified radioactive beams at the affected nerve. A special headframe will be placed on the individual’s head to help stabilize the head and pinpoint the nerve; the radiation will be concentrated on the trigeminal nerve root, which will then develop a lesion over the next few weeks. The pain will not disappear immediately, but rather fade as time passes.
Surgery may also be necessary for atypical facial pain as well, such as for tooth pain or tumors. Treatments and surgeries for these pains will vary, so talk with your doctor about any possible options.
Acupuncture specialists can help to relieve your facial pain by pinpointing pressure points on your face. By inserting needles into the skin in specific locations, the pressure in your face can be relieved.
Treat Your Pain Today for a Healthier Tomorrow
Your facial pain may make everyday life a struggle, but you have plenty of options for treatment! With the help of a doctor, you can get back to living life as you want to.
Are you struggling with facial pain and don’t know what you can do?
We’re here to help. Contact us with any questions you might have, and continue reading our blog for more helpful information today.
Are you struggling with facial pain and don’t know what you can do?
