Trigeminal neuralgia hurts like no other. No matter how slight your movement is, your face hurts. It is not surprising that many people look for the ultimate painkillers to ease the pain. If you are looking for natural options, upper cervical chiropractors believe that an atlas bone adjustment can help address the pain.
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If you have trigeminal neuralgia, you know that this is a progressive condition that affects your trigeminal nerve. It is the one responsible for transmitting facial stimuli to your brain. The trigeminal nerve is also responsible for breaking food into smaller pieces when you chew.
Trigeminal neuralgia happens as a result of
This condition generally affects women over 50 years old. The initial outbursts can be short and mild, but the episodes will become more painful and last longer. Trigeminal neuralgia makes the most mundane activities excruciating.
Simple, daily activities like talking and eating can now bring about jarring and overwhelming pain. It is enough to make anyone cry. In this case, crying is just going to aggravate the pain. Most people caring for someone diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia can certainly feel hopeless and helpless.
Given such intense pain, getting immediate relief takes priority. Medical experts usually prescribe medications to address the pain. Do note that the usual effects of taking prescription medicine include nausea, weight loss, sleepiness, and dizziness.
Sold under brands like Dilantin, this is an anticonvulsant and analgesic medication. As early as 1942, there have been multiple studies into the effects of phenytoin in treating trigeminal neuralgia. Some medical experts prefer to prescribe phenytoin based on results that showed test patients reported pain relief in 24 hours.
Neurontin is one of the brands of the drug Gabapentin. Medical experts consider this a top choice to address trigeminal neuralgia, mainly when other medications could not successfully reduce the pain.
Based on a study of 92 patients, close to half of them experienced a significant decline in facial pain. This is an apparent reason why some medical practitioners prescribe this drug to their patients who have trigeminal neuralgia.
It is important to note that the effects of this drug are not immediate. The study's respondents reported feeling their pain ease up a week or more after taking the medication.
Marketed under the brand Trileptal, Oxcarbazepine is another drug used to manage epilepsy. Medical experts prescribe this to manage pain due to trigeminal neuralgia because some patients have reported relief in as early as 24 hours. The same patients also exhibited better tolerance of the usual side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea.
Topiramate sells under the label Topamax. As an anti-epileptic medication, medical experts also prescribe this to people with trigeminal neuralgia. With daily doses, some patients reported experiencing reduced pain.
If you are looking for natural painkillers, you might want to consider getting an atlas bone adjustment. A lady went to see a chiropractor in Michigan, had an adjustment and was able to stop taking Gabapentin two months after her initial session.
In the first part of this article, we established that trigeminal neuralgia could be due to pressure on the trigeminal nerve. When pressed, the trigeminal nerve sends signals which the brain interprets as pain. Any movement that affects the trigeminal nerve triggers this transmission.
Upper cervical chiropractors know that removing the pressure may likely lead to relief from trigeminal neuralgia. When assessing this condition's root cause, upper cervical chiropractors check for any misalignments in the head and neck areas. They pay particular attention to the neck's top two bones- the atlas and the axis.
The neck's topmost bones are incredibly prone to imbalance because of their delicate structure and primary location. They are first in line to take on the weight of the head. They also precede the other bones in absorbing any impact to the head. Head and neck injury can affect the nerve pathways and blood flow, especially in the atlas and axis. When this happens, trigeminal neuralgia comes into play.
Upper cervical chiropractors can confirm if the atlas and axis and the other sections of the neck are no longer aligned. If this is the case, they can use the latest techniques to restore alignment and balance.
When accomplished, the blood can flow smoothly through the atlas and axis without applying unnecessary pressure on the nerves. When this happens, you can experience reduced pain levels, leading to relief from trigeminal neuralgia.
Upper cervical chiropractors use the latest equipment to determine any misalignment in your neck. No matter how small the discrepancy, upper cervical chiropractors believe that restoring the cervical alignment will greatly alleviate trigeminal neuralgia.
Suppose you have been diagnosed with this debilitating condition or looking after someone with trigeminal neuralgia. If this is the case, it is time to schedule an appointment with an upper cervical chiropractor in your area.
We have made it easy for you to find that chiropractic professional. Our directory here at Upper Cervical Awareness contains different upper cervical chiropractors' contact information across the states. Make that appointment now and learn more about how an atlas bone adjustment can make you smile again without inducing any pain.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
