Triangular nerve: symptoms of trigeminal nerve injury

The triadic nerve is one of the largest cranial nerves, extending to the area of ​​the teeth, touching most of the face. It happens that for various reasons this nerve can be affected, as a result of which the disease develops, usually neuritis, which significantly reduces its functionality. It is worth knowing about the symptoms of trigeminal nerve damage that may occur.

Anatomy of the trigeminal nerve

It is worth to tell a little about what the trigeminal nerve is. This nerve is of a mixed type: from the trigeminal node located at the level of the temple, three main branches, the orbital, maxillary and mandibular nerves come out. Three branches provide normal sensitivity for most of the facial tissues, parts of the tissues of the cranial vault, mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

In addition, the nerve has a motor part that provides nerve cells with chewing and a number of other muscles. Thus, the trigeminal nerve plays an important role in providing the person with normal functioning. For a number of reasons, in the work of the branches there may be failures that cause various symptoms. If you do not start treatment on time, violations in your work can become permanent.

Causes of facial nerve damage

When one of the branches or several is affected, a condition called neuralgia immediately arises. Most often, neuralgia is caused by squeezing, which can occur for the following reasons:

• various brain tumors and other neoplasms;
• an aneurysm, a lack of a normal expansion of the artery adjacent to the nerve;
• incorrect placement of blood vessels, leading to squeezing certain parts of the body.

Compression is a common but not the main cause of neuralgia. There are also various injuries, infectious lesions and side effects of certain medications.

The lesion after tooth extraction or any other manipulation in the oral cavity is also common. In addition, during the treatment of teeth, a bacterial infection capable of provoking the development of neuralgia can be introduced.

To other infections that can trigger the appearance of neuralgia or neuritis, include tetanus and meningitis. There is also a defeat of the trigeminal nerve with herpes, the virus is able to be in the sensitive ganglia of the nervous system, to affect facial branches including.

The defeat of the trigeminal nerve on the face after chemotherapy is less common, but can act as a complication, a side effect of the treatment. Also, irregularities in functioning can be provoked by other drugs when irrational admission.

Important! Sometimes the exact cause of the lesion can only be established by a specialist after a complete examination.

Symptoms of

The location of pain and other symptoms in neuralgia depends on which branch was affected. If several branches are affected at once, the symptoms can be combined. It is worth paying attention to the following signs, the motor disorders in the defeat of the trigeminal nerve are manifested in this way.

1. When the first branch is affected, the sensitivity of the skin of the forehead and the scalp in front is disturbed, the sensitivity of the eyelid and the eyeball on the side of the lesion is disturbed. The superciliary reflex decreases, the facial expression becomes less pronounced.
2. When the second branch is affected, the sensitivity of the skin of the lateral part of the face, the lower eyelid and the corner of the eye, the teeth of the upper jaw, and the mucosa in the lower part of the nasal cavity are disturbed.
3. When the third branch is affected, sensitivity disorders occur in the lower jaw, lower lip and chin skin, impairment in the functioning of the facial muscles. There is paralysis of the masticatory muscles, atrophy can develop, due to which the person can lose the usual contours.

There may also be cramps in the jaw area, muscle paralysis. If the sensitive part of the nerve is damaged, acute pain may occur, spreading along the course of the affected branch.

In the diagnosis of the disease, the sensitivity is checked, pressure is applied to the nodes of the facial nerves, checking whether there is soreness. When examining disorders in the motor function, it is examined whether the lower jaw is shifting when opening the mouth. Additional methods for assessing the state of the nervous branches and muscles can be used.

It is also important to identify the cause of the defeat of the trigeminal nerve, depending on the fineness of the treatment. If there is no obvious cause of pain, paralysis and numbness, further research is required. You may need a blood test, an X-ray, an MRI, and others.

Important! If you do not tackle the injury in time, it will be extremely difficult to restore muscle tone.

Treatment of

Depending on the reasons that provoked nerve damage, treatment is selected. It can consist of taking medications, physiotherapeutic procedures, and surgical intervention.

First of all, try to use various drugs that relieve convulsions and pain, if it is present. These drugs are available for treatment at home after consulting a specialist, the following groups of drugs are used:

1. Anticonvulsants. They reduce the activity of nerve cells, thereby reducing pain and other symptoms. Usually prescribe Carbamapezin, Diphenin, drugs based on valproic acid.
2. Anesthetic anti-inflammatory drugs. Usually used in the form of tablets and injections. The most common are Diclofenac, Tramadol, Voltaren.
3. Vitamins of group B. They help to restore muscle activity and normal nerve functioning faster.

Depending on the concomitant diseases, additional drugs may be prescribed. For better assimilation of anticonvulsants and anesthetics, antihistamines are used, with pathologies of blood circulation - drugs that improve cerebral circulation.

If the disease has occurred in the child, care should be taken with the selection of medications. The children try to treat this disease with physiotherapy and reduce the amount of medicines to a minimum.

Various physiotherapy procedures can be recommended: Novocain electrophoresis, ultrasound, acupuncture and others. They are designed to improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation and pain. In rare cases, to remove the pain syndrome, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention, this is done if drug therapy and physiotherapy do not bring any visible result.

You should also prepare for the fact that the treatment of trigeminal nerve damage can be quite long, facial muscle functions and sensitivity will return gradually. It is necessary to follow all the recommendations of the doctor, so that the treatment leads to noticeable results.