Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffIn trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, the trigeminal nerve's function is disrupted. Usually, the problem is contact between a normal blood vessel — in this case, an artery or a vein — and the trigeminal nerve, at the base of your brain. This contact puts pressure on the nerve and causes it to malfunction.
Trigeminal neuralgia can occur as a result of aging, or it can be related to multiple sclerosis or a similar disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting certain nerves. Less commonly, trigeminal neuralgia can be caused by a tumor compressing the trigeminal nerve. Some people may experience trigeminal neuralgia due to a brain lesion or other abnormalities. In other cases, a cause can't be found.
Triggers
A variety of triggers may set off the pain of trigeminal neuralgia, including:
- Shaving
- Stroking your face
- Eating
- Drinking
- Brushing your teeth
- Talking
- Putting on makeup
- Encountering a breeze
- Smiling
- Washing your face
- NINDS trigeminal neuralgia page. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/trigeminal_neuralgia/trigeminal_neuralgia.htm. Accessed April 13, 2012.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Trigeminal neuralgia. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed April 16, 2012.
- Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1678/0.html Accessed May 16, 2012.
- Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Mosby; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/183930156-4/0/2088/674.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00029-0--sc0175_13740. Accessed May 16, 2012.
- Gronseth G, et al. Practice parameters: The diagnostic evaluation and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (an evidence-based review): Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the European Federation of Neurological Societies. Neurology. 2008;71:1183.
- Krafft RM. Trigeminal neuralgia. American Family Physician. 2008;77:1291.
- PainAid. American Pain Foundation. http://painaid.painfoundation.org/. Accessed May 31, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on