Date updated: June 01, 2009
Content provided by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Also called: Nervous Tic, Tic Douloureux, Prosopalgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), also called Tic Douloureux or Prosopalgia or Nervous Tic is a chronic pain condition that causes extreme, periodic, sudden burning or shock-like face pain. The pain seldom lasts more than a few seconds or a minute or two per episode. The intensity of pain can be physically and mentally unbearable. Trigeminal Neuralgia pain is typically felt on one side of the jaw or cheek. Episodes can last for days, weeks, or months at a time and then disappear for months or years. In the days before an episode begins, some patients may experience a tingling or numbing sensation or a somewhat constant and aching pain. The attacks often worsen over time, with fewer and shorter pain-free periods before they recur. The intense flashes of pain can be triggered by vibration or contact with the cheek such as when shaving, washing the face, or applying makeup, brushing teeth, eating, drinking, talking, or being exposed to the wind. There is some evidence that the disorder runs in families, perhaps because of an inherited pattern of blood vessel formation. Although sometimes debilitating, the disorder is not life-threatening. Trigeminal Neuralgia usually develops after the age of 50, more commonly in females, although there have been cases with patients being as young as three years of age.