How painful is trigeminal neuralgia?

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
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The trigeminal nerve is located on the human face, and trigeminal neuralgia is a common neurological disorder. The most prominent symptom of this disorder is pain that feels like needle pricks or knife cuts. This pain usually occurs very suddenly and is extremely intense. When the pain occurs, patients cannot perform any movements related to the face, severely affecting their quality of life. Moreover, sometimes even a minor movement can trigger repeated episodes of pain, placing the patient in constant severe discomfort. Therefore, trigeminal neuralgia is also referred to as "the worst pain in the world."

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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Is trigeminal neuralgia dangerous?

Trigeminal neuralgia manifests in the regions of the face covered by the distributions of the trigeminal nerve, featuring recurrent, severe pain. The onset of the disorder is sudden and it resolves quickly as well. The pain is usually described as cutting, electric shock-like, burning, or tearing; it is a stubborn, difficult-to-treat pain, colloquially known as the "king of pain" and "the foremost pain in the world," which reflects the extreme level of pain associated with trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia is generally not fatal, but it inflicts significant harm on the human body, making sufferers feel as if death would be preferable. It causes substantial psychological and physical obstacles and can even trigger the onset of some cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, potentially leading to sudden death. Thus, trigeminal neuralgia is considered a rather dangerous disease.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How painful is trigeminal neuralgia?

The trigeminal nerve is located on the human face, and trigeminal neuralgia is a common neurological disorder. The most prominent symptom of this disorder is pain that feels like needle pricks or knife cuts. This pain usually occurs very suddenly and is extremely intense. When the pain occurs, patients cannot perform any movements related to the face, severely affecting their quality of life. Moreover, sometimes even a minor movement can trigger repeated episodes of pain, placing the patient in constant severe discomfort. Therefore, trigeminal neuralgia is also referred to as "the worst pain in the world."

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Written by Li Pei
Neurosurgery
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What are the symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia?

The clinical symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia are mainly characterized by severe, paroxysmal pain in the area of the face distributed by the trigeminal nerve, typically affecting one side. The pain can affect one, two, or all three branches of the trigeminal nerve. The pain is episodic, resembling cutting, electric shocks, and is sudden in onset and cessation, making it unbearable for the patient. In some patients, actions such as eating, washing the face, or brushing teeth can trigger the pain. Most patients have trigger points, commonly located near the nostrils, corners of the mouth, or upper lip.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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trigeminal neuralgia scope

The range of trigeminal neuralgia attacks is usually located in the sensory area of the trigeminal nerve root, broadly covering both sides of the patient's nostrils and around the corners of the mouth. The nature of the pain is quite severe, often described as knife-like pain or burning pain. The duration of each pain episode varies, often starting and stopping suddenly. Around the pain area, fixed trigger points are likely to form. Accidentally touching these trigger points while brushing teeth, washing faces, or rinsing mouths can often trigger an attack of trigeminal neuralgia. Over time, due to repeatedly triggering the pain by touching these points, patients may become afraid to wash their faces or brush their teeth, and may experience facial muscle numbness or atrophy.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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Is trigeminal neuralgia easy to treat?

Whether trigeminal neuralgia is easy to treat must be judged based on the situation at the time. The vast majority of patients with trigeminal nerve pain can find a corresponding cause, such as compression by blood vessels, tumors, or infection factors. For vascular compression, microvascular decompression surgery can be adopted for treatment. For tumor compression, craniotomy and tumor resection can be adopted for treatment. For some infectious factors, treatment such as anti-infection and hormones can be adopted. These are relatively easier to treat, and most can have a very obvious prognosis. However, there are also cases, such as trigeminal neuralgia where no specific cause has been found, called primary trigeminal neuralgia, where active complete treatment is not possible, and only certain methods can be used to alleviate the general symptoms of the patient and reduce their suffering.