Life can be miserable when you have trigeminal neuralgia because it causes excruciating pain each time you move your facial muscles and mouth. Additionally, this rare condition can severely affect your mood and mental well-being and hinder you from having fun or doing your tasks at work or home. Thankfully, it’s possible to relieve trigeminal neuralgia in Calgary if you know a thing or two about how the condition comes into being and impacts the body.

How Trigeminal Neuralgia Develops and Affect the Body

The trigeminal nerve is a cranial nerve that supplies sensation to your face and controls muscles that you use to chew and talk. Unfortunately, it is highly susceptible to pinching or compression. Some patients develop this condition because of misaligned neck bones. Others have it due to blood vessels compressing the trigeminal nerve roots. 

When the pinching problem occurs, the nerve fails to do its job and sends pain and pressure signals to your brain. This, in effect, leads to the searing sensation you experience when you move your facial muscles. Many patients who have this chronic pain disorder note that their symptoms keep them from working or doing any tasks. It also renders them stressed and anxious every time they chew, smile, talk, or touch their face. 

Here’s a closer look at the usual complaints of patients looking to relieve their trigeminal neuralgia in Calgary:

• Periods of stabbing, shocking, and shooting pain mainly on the jaw, teeth, gums, cheek, and lips
• Burning and aching feeling on one side of the face that lasts for several minutes 
• Crippling facial pain that flares up several times a day or week and worsens with time 
• Uncontrollable facial muscle twitching after every painful episode

Notably, the symptoms come and go, depending on how often you get exposed to triggers such as:  

• Shaving and washing your face
• Brushing your teeth
• Blowing your nose 
• Coughing
• Drinking 
• Eating 
• Touching your face
• Smiling and talking

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and trigeminal neuralgia, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

How to Relieve Trigeminal Neuralgia in Calgary

Patients diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia can all agree that it’s one of the most painful disorders. It can most definitely affect various aspects of life like your career and relationships. Thankfully, you have plenty of options to manage your trigeminal neuralgia symptoms. Below are some of the usual remedies that people use to cope with their pain.

OTC and Prescribed Pain Medications

Taking medication is one way to relieve trigeminal neuralgia in Calgary. Certain medications block or lessen the pain signals sent to your brain. These can help you ease your pain briefly until you find a more sustainable option to resolve your condition. Some of the medications that doctors recommend for trigeminal neuralgia include:

• Anticonvulsants
• Muscle-relaxing medications or antispasmodic agents
• Botox injections

Surgery

Surgical options can also help patients who suffer from the debilitating effects of trigeminal neuralgia. Here are some of the standard procedures to fix the source of your pain:

• Microvascular decompression – The process involves relocating or removing the blood vessels pressing on the nerve root. The goal of this procedure is to stop the trigeminal nerve from malfunctioning. Although microvascular decompression can eliminate the pain after the surgery, other patients do still experience recurring pain.
• Brain stereotactic radiosurgery – Some doctors refer to this procedure as gamma knife radiosurgery. It uses radiation to ease trigeminal nerve pain. 
• Balloon compression – This procedure involves a process where a surgeon inflates a balloon inside your skull to stop the pain signals from reaching your brain. This specifically targets the trigeminal ganglion – a part of your trigeminal nerve.

Diet Therapy 

If you aren’t keen on trying invasive methods to manage your symptoms, diet therapy might help. After all, knowing what foods to eat and what you need to avoid can significantly reduce your pain. 

A low saturated fat diet is one of the most effective trigeminal neuralgia diet therapy. Whole grains, fish, vegetables, berries, and citrus fruits consist of this diet. On the other hand, foods that may trigger another trigeminal neuralgia flare-ups are high-sugar foods, spicy foods, and highly processed foods. In addition, staying away from caffeinated drinks may also help in preventing another painful episode. 

Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Upper cervical chiropractic care is a popular natural and holistic approach to managing trigeminal neuralgia pain. It involves checking the upper neck for bone misalignments and providing gentle adjustments to restore balance. This process helps decompress the affected tissues like the trigeminal nerve. It also re-establishes the communication pathways between the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and the rest of your body. 

Case studies prove the strong link between neck health and trigeminal neuralgia. As it turns out, several patients who experienced trigeminal nerve pain previously suffered from a neck or head injury. Even after the tissue damage heals, the misaligned bones remain in their place, disrupting the normal processes of the central nervous system.  

Naturally, your recovery and healing journey can begin once you correct your C1 and C2 bone alignment with upper cervical care. 

Enjoy a Renewed and Pain-free Life Today!

Are you tired of feeling constant pain because of trigeminal neuralgia? Our upper cervical doctor at Advanced Wellness Clinic can help. You can schedule a consultation today, so we can start assessing you for cervical subluxation and providing you with C1 and C2 bone adjustments. Please contact us through our website contact form or call at 403-475-0039.

To schedule a consultation in our Calgary office call 403-475-0039, or just click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.