Trigeminal neuralgia, or TN, is a type of chronic pain condition that involves sudden attacks of extreme facial pain. It affects the trigeminal nerve, which provides feeling and nerve signaling to parts of the head and face. Severe pain attacks typically last only a few seconds, but can last up to a few minutes, and may occur several times a day.
TN has two types: typical (TN1) and atypical (TN2). The main difference between the two is the type of pain they cause.
Typical trigeminal neuralgia feels like intense, sharp, electric shock-like pain that occurs in episodes. These episodes can be triggered by facial movements, like brushing your teeth or chewing. The pain can last from a few seconds to several minutes, and then stop for hours or days.
Atypical trigeminal neuralgia feels like a constant, dull ache or burning pain that lasts for long periods of time. There may also be episodes of sharp electric shock-like pain that worsens the constant ache. Atypical trigeminal neuralgia pain is often not triggered by a specific action and can affect either side of the face.
At Reno CyberKnife, we treat patients diagnosed with TN with CyberKnife® technology. The CyberKnife system performs stereotactic radiosurgery, a nonsurgical method of treating certain types of tumors and conditions like TN with high-dose radiation beams delivered in five or fewer treatments. To treat a patient with TN, CyberKnife delivers very precise radiation beams to a targeted segment of the trigeminal nerve to interrupt pain-causing fibers. The pinpoint accuracy of the procedure spares healthy tissue and allows the physicians to treat difficult-to-reach targets without traditional surgery or sedation.
If you have been suffering from TN, stop the pain today. Contact Reno CyberKnife to schedule a consult and get on the right path to improving your quality of life.