How We Determine the Cause of Your Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia can cause sudden, severe facial pain that may feel sharp, electric, burning, or shock-like. Symptoms may be triggered by chewing, brushing the teeth, speaking, touching the face, or even light movement of air across the skin. At Medway Pain Center, evaluation begins with a careful review of your pain pattern, triggers, location, prior imaging, medical history, and neurological symptoms.
The goal is to determine whether the trigeminal nerve is the main pain source and whether another headache, dental, sinus, jaw, or cervical condition may be contributing.
Choosing the Right Treatment for Your Trigeminal Neuralgia
Treatment depends on the exact nerve pathway involved, symptom pattern, prior treatments, and whether another pain generator is present. Some patients benefit from medication management or conservative care, while others may need a targeted interventional approach.
- Nerve blocks may help diagnose or reduce irritation in selected facial nerve pain patterns.
- Radiofrequency ablation may be considered in carefully selected cases after diagnostic testing supports the target.
- Trigger point injections may be used when jaw, neck, or facial muscle tightness contributes to pain.
- Epidural steroid injections may be appropriate only when cervical spine nerve irritation is also part of the pain pattern.
Why One Procedure May Be Better Than Another
Different treatments address different pain sources. Nerve blocks can help clarify whether a specific nerve pathway is driving symptoms, while radiofrequency ablation is considered only when diagnostic findings support the target. Trigger point injections focus on painful muscle contributors, and epidural steroid injections are reserved for cases where neck-related nerve irritation is also suspected.
Choosing carefully helps avoid unnecessary procedures and improves the chance that treatment matches your actual diagnosis.
Your Treatment Journey at Medway Pain Center
Your care usually begins with an evaluation, diagnosis, and review of prior treatments or imaging. From there, Dr. Tochi Umunakwe and the Medway Pain Center team explain your options, discuss conservative and interventional choices, and build a plan based on your symptoms, exam findings, and goals.
The focus is to reduce pain, improve function, and help you return to daily activities with a plan that makes clinical sense for your condition.
