What is Trigeminal Neuralgia? What is Tic Douloureux?
The November 14, 2016, issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a case study of a patient suffering from daily Trigeminal Neuralgia pain being helped with chiropractic. According to the study author, “Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), ‘tic douloureux,’ French in origin meaning ‘painful spasm,’ is a widespread neurological disorder that is often misdiagnosed as a dental or jaw problem, and has been even said to be a psychological disorder.”
The study reported that between 12.6 to 27 per 100,000 people suffer from TN. The problem is more common in woman and is less common in people under the the age of 40 years of age, with the average age of a person at onset being near 60 years old. The pain from TN is often severe and debilitating, often creating a significant change in the life of someone suffering from this problem. Because of this, unemployment rates of people suffering with TN is 34%.
In this case, a 55-year-old woman suffering with TN in her right jaw went to the chiropractor. The woman reported suffering an episode at least once daily for the past 6 months. The episodes were aggravated by activities such as chewing, talking and stressful situations. She was medically diagnosed with TN and given medications that she claimed did not help her issues.
A chiropractic examination was performed which consisted of a postural analysis, range of motion, leg length analysis, bilateral weight scales and spinal x-rays. Based on the examination, subluxations were determined to be present and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were performed to correct the subluxations.
After the patient’s first adjustment, she reported that her pain completely went away and she remained pain-free for four days. She considered this remarkable as she was getting the TN pain on a daily basis prior to her first adjustment. After three months of care, the patient reported only experiencing two episodes of TN up to that point. Thereafter, she no longer had any reoccurrence of TN at all. The study noted that the woman stated that she is beyond astonished to finally be able to have discovered relief and reestablish her life.
The study author summed up this case by stating, “The chiropractic management of a 55-year-old patient suffering from trigeminal neuralgia is presented in this case study. Comprehensive improvement and alleviation of symptoms were achieved and recorded. This case supports the evidence of chiropractic care in relieving neurological disorders based on anatomical association and interference.”
If you or anyone you know could benefit from a better functioning nervous system, please call us at 512-452-2525 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Swanson. We are located in north central Austin, TX.