Neuralgia are extremely annoying pains of a paroxysmal nature. They appear suddenly and prevent standard human functioning. The cause of the appearance of neuralgia is damage to the nervous system, specifically to the peripheral nerve innervating a particular part of the body. Neuromas can radiate and cause numbness or tingling of specific parts of the body. Patients most often complain of neuralgia in the head, back or heart, although neuralgia can affect any part of the body. Fortunately, neuralgia can be effectively treated. Find out what characterizes neuralgia and how to treat it
What is neuralgia?
Neuralgia, otherwise known as neuralgia, is an affliction manifested by sudden attacks of pain of great intensity, which can occur all over the body. Between pain attacks, the patient may not experience any symptoms. These attacks occur irregularly, but by their inconvenience they effectively “exclude” the sufferer from social and professional life. The type of pain experienced varies depending on the site of occurrence and its cause.
Types of neuralgia – diagnosis
There are many types of neuralgia. Among the most common are intercostal neuralgia, manifested by neuralgia in the chest, and trigeminal neuralgia, occurring in the form of neuralgia of various regions of the face and neck. In the case of trigeminal neuralgia, there may be migratory neuralgia, that is, neuralgia that moves from one part of the muscles to another.
Neuralgia is also divided into symptomatic neuralgia and spontaneous neuralgia, which does not represent any disease process, but is the result of exhaustion or tension, caused, for example, by chronic stress or mental disorders such as anxiety neurosis or depression.
Symptomatic neuralgia, on the other hand, is a consequence of an ongoing condition in the body, caused, for example, by inflammation or damage to a nerve branch. Pain occurring in many places at once, e.g. over a large area of the spine, and moving around, is referred to as a sciatica.
Neuroma – a symptom that is difficult to identify
Neuromas are pains that have no obvious, apparent cause at first glance. Symptoms that occur most often include:
- Intense pain of a paroxysmal nature, involving the skin.
- A stinging or burning sensation.
- A tingling sensation at the site of neuralgia.
- Paresis caused by paralysis of muscle nerves, lack of sensation.
- Excessive sensitivity to temperature.
- No apparent trauma that may indicate another cause of pain.
Depending on the group of nerves affected by the neuralgia, pain attacks can have a different character and manifest themselves in many different ways. Unusual symptoms of neuralgia include, for example, the occurrence of nausea and vomiting, visual disturbances (Arnold neuralgia) and even difficulty breathing.
A typical symptom of neuralgia is the occurrence of trigger zones, i.e. areas where even the slightest stimulation of the nerve, such as a breath of cold/warm air or the touch of a material, causes severe, wrenching pain. A characteristic feature of neuralgia is the inability to completely control the pain with over-the-counter painkillers.
In trigeminal neuralgia, everyday activities such as brushing teeth, chewing or throwing food can also be a factor in trigeminal neuralgia, causing painful symptoms.
Trigeminal nerve. Trigeminal neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as trigeminal neuralgia, is a nervous system disorder characterized by sudden and intense facial pain. The trigeminal nerve (trigeminal nerve) is the fifth cranial nerve and is responsible for transmitting sensory impulses from the face to the brain.
Symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia include:
- Sudden, intense facial pain. The pains are often described as strong, electrifying, felt briefly but very painful.
- Periodic attacks of pain. The pains often occur in seizures that can last a few seconds to a few minutes. Seizures can be triggered by everyday activities such as chewing, speaking, washing the face, touching the skin or even a gust of wind.
- Unilateral pain. Trigeminal neuralgia usually occurs on one side of the face, although it can be bilateral, but this is less common.
- A feeling of numbness or tingling. After a pain attack, patients may experience a feeling of numbness or tingling in the area that was affected.
Causes of neuralgia
Depending on the type of neuralgia, its cause may lie elsewhere. The cause of trigeminal neuralgia is usually pressure on the nerve by a blood vessel in the area of the nerve.
Other causes of neuralgia include:
- inflammatory changes to the nerves, usually as a result of a previous history of hemiplegia – we then speak of hemiplegic neuralgia.
- nerve damage as a result of infection, mechanical trauma or caused by stress,
- nerve damage as a result of contact with toxins, such as heavy metals or carbon monoxide,
- deficiency of B vitamins, which are responsible for the normal development and functioning of the nervous system,
- metabolic disorders,
- spinal problems such as scoliosis or discopathy.
People suffering from diseases such as diabetes, Lyme disease, rheumatoid arthritis or hypothyroidism , as well as HIV carriers, are particularly prone to neuralgia. Patients with neurosis or depression are also more likely to complain of neuralgia.
Neuropathies often affect the elderly and are simply related to the aging process. They can also appear in pregnant women, when the growing fetus puts pressure on different parts of the nerves and the whole body begins to function differently, which can overload the nervous system.
Cardiac neuralgia having an intercostal nature.
A special type of neuralgia is that concerning the heart. Often patients suffering from intercostal neuralgia experience sharp pains in the chest, occurring in the ribs and sternum area. Often the symptoms are confusingly similar to a heart attack. The pains can occur on both sides of the chest or only on one side.
Cardiac neuralgia – symptoms. Intercostal neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia
The main symptom of cardiac neuralgia, is, as with other neuralgia, severe pain appearing suddenly for no apparent reason. Intercostal neuralgia can occur throughout the chest and up the back. They often affect the sternal area, resulting in patients going to the doctor urgently, suspecting they have had a heart attack.
Cardiac neuralgia can make breathing difficult, such as preventing one from taking a full breath, yawning, or worsen when bending the body. They can also occur with minor physical activities such as stretching. Often neuralgia accompanies sneezing or is felt when coughing. People are particularly prone to the occurrence of intercostal neuralgia after injuries and collapses of the ribs or spine. Sudden neuralgia of this area can also occur for a more mundane reason, for example, after making a sudden movement.
The pain can be burning, stabbing or dull and radiating. The latter is often confused with reflux and gastritis or esophagitis.
Intercostal neuralgia can also be the body’s response to stress and emotional tension, and can accompany people suffering from depression or anxiety neurosis.
Lingual-pharyngeal nerve neuralgia
Neuralgia ofthe lingual-pharyngeal nerve, also known as pharyngeal tongue neuralgia, is a condition that manifests as sharp, sudden attacks of pain in the area of the tongue, throat or ear. This pain can be very intense and last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Lingual-pharyngeal nerve neuralgia is a fairly rare condition that can be very troublesome for patients. With this type of neuralgia, there are no visible changes on imaging studies such as MRI or CT scans.
Symptoms of lingual-pharyngeal nerve neuralgia can include:
- Sudden, sharp pain that may resemble a penetrating pain or electric shock.
- Pain that localizes around the tongue, throat, ear or chin.
- Attacks of pain that occur spontaneously or as a result of stimulation such as eating, speaking or touching the area affected by the neuralgia.
- Periodic recurrence of pain.
Treatment of neuralgia
With any worrisome pain of unknown cause, you should go to a doctor, who will take a detailed medical history and direct further diagnostics, such as ordering an electrophysiological or imaging study. Before going to a specialist, it’s a good idea to make a detailed list of symptoms, along with the duration of neuralgia attacks and their frequency. The more information you provide right away, the shorter the treatment will last.
When neuralgia is diagnosed, the method of treatment depends on its type and cause. Pharmacological treatments include opioid drugs, antiepileptic drugs and even antidepressants.
In exceptional cases, the doctor may also recommend surgical treatment. This procedure is carried out on the trunk, ganglion or root of the nerve whose irritation causes neuralgia, and involves damaging or removing the nerve causing the pain in order to prevent it from continuing to act and thus eliminate the neuralgia permanently.
Types of surgical procedures performed to treat neuralgia:
- thermoagulation-damage to the nerve using temperature,
- glycerolysis-damage to the nerve with injected glycerol,
- radiosurgery- laser removal of a nerve using a gamma laser beam,
- necrolysis- destruction of the nerve with chemicals.
Neuralgia can also be treated by therapy with a physiotherapist. Working on specific parts of the muscles affected by neuralgia can help eliminate the problem or just make the neuralgia patient more comfortable.
It is worth knowing that there are also home remedies for neuralgia – muscle relaxation exercises. These are gentle and non-invasive ways to get rid of the pain temporarily. Home exercises can also be part of the work on the problem that causes neuralgia, such as spinal curvature.
Neuromas – how to cope, treatment options?
Before your doctor selects you effective drugs for neuralgia, you can try to cope with home remedies such as yoga or massage. You can also benefit from acupuncture.
Also, herbal medicine deals with neuralgia problems. Natural preparations work especially well in relieving symptoms coming from the skin. Infusions and poultices of herbs such as elderflower, which has a diastolic effect, or arnica, which levels pains of various causes, are a good addition to the main treatment, but do not replace it completely. Among the herbs useful in treating neuralgia, anti-inflammatory vetiver and calming lemon balm also stand out. Beware, however, of using herbs together with medications. Always inform your doctor about the herbal treatments you are taking, as some herbs react chemically with the active ingredients of drugs and can form compounds that are potentially dangerous to your health or simply nullify the effects of medications.
Home remedies for neuralgia also include aromatherapy. Spraying essential oils in the air relieves pain. It is worth stocking up on lavender oil to soothe the nerves, eucalyptus oil for its diastolic effect and ginger oil for its anti-inflammatory effect.
Aromatherapy itself can be done with the help of a dedicated fireplace or by adding a few drops of oil to a warm bath, which in itself can provide relief from some muscle pains.
A long-term measure that is very effective and often even necessary is a change in lifestyle and diet. Treatment of neuralgia will not be effective if the cause lies in a deficient diet or a disrupted diurnal rhythm. It is worth ensuring that the diet provides all the necessary nutrients, with a special focus on products that support the nervous system, such as oatmeal, coarse-grain cereals or nuts and almonds.
Which vitamin for neuralgia?
Neuropathies can occur in people with a deficiency of B vitamins, especially B1, B3, B6 and B12. Particularly important here is vitamin B12, which is lacking in people on plant-based diets and must be regularly supplemented by them. This vitamin occurs naturally only in animal products.
B vitamins are involved in the production of neurotransmitters, which conduct signals between nerve cells. Their deficiency can also manifest as mental disorders.
Supplementation with curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, and unsaturated fatty acids(omega acids), which support brain function, among other things, may be helpful in treating neuralgia.
Psychotherapy in the treatment of neuralgia
Psychotherapy can be useful as an adjunct to the treatment of neuralgia or trigeminal neuralgia, especially in the context of managing stress, anxiety, depression or other emotional problems that often accompany this condition. Trigeminal neuralgia is a physical condition associated with sudden, very painful facial pain, but these pains can affect a patient’s overall emotional state and quality of life. Psychotherapy can help patients cope with these side effects.
If excessive stress is the cause of neuralgia, calming exercises such as breathing, as well as mindfulness practices and meditation will also be useful in treating neuralgia. The patient should also learn constructive ways to cope with stress, as well as recognize the early symptoms of overstimulation by excess stress, so that action can be taken earlier and nerve pain symptoms can be prevented from appearing. Are you interested in a psychological consultation? Make an appointment – online psychotherapy
Neuralgia and psychotherapy – why is it worth working with the psyche in the case of neuralgia?
Neuromas are often one of the somatic symptoms accompanying psychological disorders. In such a case, treatment of neuralgia can also, and in some cases even only, take place in psychotherapy. Depending on the problem the patient comes with, its complexity and intensity, the length and type of psychotherapy will vary. Its goal, however, will be the same: to get rid of neuralgia by working through the problems that led to its development.
Often, psychological neuralgia is led by emotions suppressed for years and excess stress, which the patient has been unable to cope with. These difficulties find an outlet in the body – they manifest themselves in the form of neuralgia. For this reason, in many situations it is possible to predict when the next attack of neuralgia will occur, based on previous experiences and observing the emotions accompanying the sick person.
The psychotherapist works with the patient to understand the mechanisms that led to the disease and shows him other, more constructive ways to deal with certain problems.
Psychotherapy usually requires at least a couple of months of work, but the first results may be visible even after the first few meetings. In fact, by opting for psychotherapy, you are entering into a process that will eventually lead you to get rid of your nagging pains, no matter how long it takes. Usually, the longer someone has struggled with a problem before, the longer it will take to work on recovery, although this is not a rule for everyone.
In cases where a psychological disorder is at the root of the neuralgia, it may be necessary to introduce pharmacotherapy precisely because of this illness, such as treatment with antidepressants, which will simultaneously make the neuralgia disappear.
Other cases of neuralgia in which psychotherapy can help
In some cases, psychological support may consist of a one-time consultation. In cases where neuralgia was triggered by some difficult but one-time stressful event, such as a painful loss
The support of a psychologist or psychotherapist can also consist of working with people whose neuralgia has a physical basis, but is so troublesome that the patient’s mental health is also in decline, e.g. generalized anxiety syndrome, depressive thoughts. In such a case, treatment is carried out in two ways – both by a doctor dealing with the bodily cause of neuralgia and a psychotherapist.
Living with neuralgia is not easy, especially if the pains appear unexpectedly and frequently. Fortunately, today’s medicine knows effective ways to combat neuralgia. If you or someone close to you suffers from neuralgia – don’t wait and get help!