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Pain in the face
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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Pain in the face, or, in another way, prozopalgia is one of the most difficult tasks of modern medicine. Painful sensations can arise due to any pathologies of nervous and dentoalveolar system, eye diseases and ENT organs, etc. In connection with this treatment, the doctors are engaged in doctors of different directions. Pain in the face is very common in medical practice.
Pain in the face is a difficult problem in the practice of a neurologist. For the successful diagnosis and treatment of painful sensations, particular features of clinical manifestations and a clear understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms necessary to determine a particular therapeutic tactics. Very relevant and practical for the neurologist are also modern approaches to classification, reflected, in particular, in the latest version of the classification of the International Society (MOGB). However, in a number of cases, descriptive characteristics of certain forms are appropriate for the use of their definitions from the classification of the International Association for the Study of these Conditions, which in the MGB classification are either absent or presented too briefly.
[What causes pain in the face?
Pain in the face can provoke various cranial neuralgias, for example, trigeminal neuralgia, dental diseases, cervical spine trauma, pathology in the paranasal sinuses, temporal arteritis, swelling of the skull, nasopharynx, etc.
One of the rare diseases that cause pain in the face, you can call neuralgia of the glossopharyngeal nerve. The patient feels paroxysmal discomfort in the tonsils, the depth of the mouth, the root of the tongue and arises when swallowing (especially cold liquid), yawning, coughing, talking, chewing. Often the pain in the face can radiate to the neck and ear. Even slight pressure on the tragus, amygdala or soft palate is accompanied by painful sensations. Pain in the face can be felt for several minutes and provoke fainting, a drop in blood pressure, a bradycardia.
Pain in the face can be a symptom of the neuralgia of the overlying nerve. It is characterized by paroxysmal one- or bilateral pains in the larynx and mandible, which "give" in the ear, eye, foreleg, thorax.
Another reason for the onset of pain syndrome in the facial part is the neuralgia of the pterygoid ganglion. Painful sensations in this situation are concentrated in the ear, eyes, soft palate, teeth, jaw, can radiate to the cervico-shoulder-scapular region. For this disease are characterized by such symptoms as face swelling, nasal congestion, lacrimation, injection of sclera from the side of pain, migraine, headache and cervicogenic pain in the face.
Also, the pain in the face can be a consequence of the neuralgia of the nasociliary ganglion, accompanied by pain in the root of the nose, the inner corner of the eye, blepharospasm, conjunctiva injection, nasal congestion, nasal flow. When the cocaine-adrenaline mixture is instilled in the nose, the pain in the face disappears in the nose, but not in the eye area.
Violations of activity in the temporomandibular joint are fraught with the appearance of pain in the frontal, temporal, mandibular and cheek areas. Also, the pain syndrome in these areas of the face can appear due to myofascial syndrome of chewing muscles, degenerative or inflammatory diseases of the temporomandibular joint, an abnormal bite.
Pain in the face, teeth, lower jaw, ear, upper neck, lasting up to several hours, is caused by carotidinia.
The most common cause of pain in the facial area is odontogenic pain. The causes of pain syndrome in the lower and upper jaw are nerve irrigation with caries, periodontal abscesses, abnormalities of tooth pulp. Often the pain in the face is pulsating, intensified at night and is most acutely felt in the area of the dental root. A painful attack can be felt while taking a sweet, cold or, conversely, hot food or liquid.
Atypical prosopalgia, causing pain in the face, most often exposed women 30-60 years. The disease is diagnosed if the organic causes of the pain were not identified. Usually, the pain syndrome is felt in half of the face and neck, but sometimes it is localized only in the face area and is present constantly. Often the pain in the face is aching, pulsating, drilling, pressing, burning nature.
Muscle pain in the face arises from the strain of the muscles involved in mimicry and chewing, as well as the neck muscles. Such a pain is called myofascial pain syndrome of the face.
If you have pain in your face, you should immediately consult a doctor to determine the cause of the pain.