Facial pain is pain felt in any part of the face, including the eyes and mouth. It affects women more than men.
Facial pain can be due to anything from an infection to nerve damage in the face.
Common causes of facial pain include:
- Oral infection or abscess
- Oral ulcer or open sore
- Sinusitis (sinus infection)
- Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), which causes cold sores
- Cluster Headaches
- Occipital neuralgia
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Post-Stroke pain
- Temporomandibular Disorder
- Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN): Is one of the best-known causes of facial pain. It consists of recurrent unilateral brief electric shock-like pains, abrupt in onset and termination, limited to the distribution of one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve.
Treatments
- Medication management (Carbamazepine, Membrane stabilizers etc)
- Surgical: Microvascular decompression, balloon microcompression, and stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife) etc
- Eagle syndrome : It is a rare disorder due to inflammation of the stylohyoid ligament. Pain can be situated in the head or neck region, but pharyngeal and facial pain is also possible. Turning the head typically provokes pain. Physical exam and CT scan is usually required to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment options
- Trigeminal nerve block
- Stellate Ganglion block
- Occipital nerve block and Radiofrequency ablation
- Temporomandibular Joint Injection
- Cervical medial branch block
Facial pain is extremely common and can develop from a range of causes. At Advanced Pain modalities, we are committed to reducing your pain and improving your overall quality of life. If you would like to discuss facial pain treatments, please give us a call and we would be happy to schedule an appointment to discuss your treatment plan.
