Summary

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a type of chronic pain that affects your face. It causes extreme, sudden burning or shock-like pain. It usually affects one side of the face. Any vibration on your face, even from talking, can set it off. The condition may come and go, disappearing for days or even months. But the longer you have it, the less often it goes away.

TN usually affects people over 50, especially women. The cause is probably a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. Tumors and multiple sclerosis can also cause TN, but in some cases the cause is unknown.

There is no specific test for TN. It can be hard to diagnose, since many other conditions can cause facial pain. Treatment options include medicines, surgery, and complementary techniques.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Learn More

• Trigeminal Neuralgia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Trigeminal Neuralgia (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Trigeminal Neuralgia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Trigeminal Neuralgia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia by acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine from...
• Article: Abnormal electromyographical trigeminal activation through stimulation of the offending artery (Z-L...
• Article: Technical report on intra-operative trigeminal root mapping in percutaneous lesioning for...
• Trigeminal Neuralgia -- see more articles

Patient Handouts

• Stereotactic radiosurgery - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Trigeminal neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish