Neuralgia is a condition you hope you don’t know about. It is a debilitating condition that is causes severe pain and frustration once afflicted. Neuralgia is a severe stabbing, burning pain due to an irritated or damaged nerve.
The most common known causes of neuralgia are diabetes, MS, infection or nerve compression due to bone, ligament, blood vessels or tumors putting pressure on the nerve. A major problem with neuralgia is that many cases don’t fall into those categories or the condition doesn’t improve following medical intervention. These cases are what is called idiopathic, which means with out a known cause.
Trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia we the most common documented in medical literature but the condition can affect any nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a cranial nerve that branches into the cheek, upper and lower jaw area. The Glossopharyngeal nerve is also a cranial nerve that branches under the jaw, neck and throat region. If you are suffering from a spontaneous severe pain in these areas you may have neuralgia.
Treatment for neuralgia includes controlling underlining conditions that may be causing it, surgery, nerve blocks, anti-depressant and anti-seizure medications. There is no known cure for neuralgia at this time, treatment is designed to minimize the debilitating symptoms.
Laser therapy has been introduced as a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that has been getting positive results without the negative side-effects of medication or pain of surgery. The laser center of Louisville uses K-Laser technology to non-invasively treat the symptoms of these conditions. Call today at 502-290-7876 to schedule your free consultation.