Neuralgia

Formation

Neuralgia caused by damage to peripheral nerves. These can ( mechanically, eg when herniated disc ) by pressure, inflammation ( neuritis, for example, when herpes zoster), metabolic disorders ( metabolic, diabetes mellitus, etc.), radiation ( actinic ) or, for example burns ( chemical) occur. A distinction is then between several injury patterns, but also can occur side by side:

• Damage to the myelin sheath (insulation layer), demyelinating: This results in the exposure of the nerve fibers and consequently to skip electrical impulses from nerve fibers for the sensation of touch on pain fibers. This leads to einschießenden severe pain ( pain neuralgiformer )

• Damage to the nerve fibers, axonal: If blocked, the information line ( deafferentation ) there is a lack of information in the central nervous system. For reasons not completely known reasons this occurs in the CNS initially numbness, but in the course of often painful sensations ( deafferentation ).

• Circulatory disturbance in the nerve: By pressing on the nerve, there is a localized perfusion defect and a metabolic disorder that leads to severe pain. Typically, the rapid relief is upon removal of the mechanical problem.

Treatment

In treating the cause and type of pain are observed. Causal therapy is usually more effective ( for example, the surgical removal of a compression) as a symptomatic therapy. But this case is the individual risk of the operation to be observed.

In neuralgia with einschießenden ( neuralgia ) pain rather anticonvulsants or opiates act in constant pain rather anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-depressants or opiates. Furthermore, therapeutic regional anesthesia and TENS are effective.

Demarcation

The term neuralgia is used partly critical. So even medical professionals tend to refer to any facial pain as trigeminal neuralgia, although behind at least as many " persistent idiopathic facial pain " and other disorders such as temporomandibular joint syndrome hide.

A neuralgiformer pain is einschießend, short, very intense and caused by irritation of other sensitive qualities ( touch, temperature, etc.) can be triggered.

Typical examples

Basically, every nerve, with appropriate damage lead to neuralgia. However, Heaped the following nerves are affected:

• Trigeminal Nerve: Trigeminal neuralgia
• Glossopharyngeal nerve: glossopharyngeal
• Nerve nasociliary: Nasoziliarisneuralgie ( Charlin syndrome)
• Nerve auriculotemporalis: Aurikulotemporalisneuralgie ( Frey 's syndrome)
• Pterygopalatine ganglion: Sluder neuralgia
• Nervus intermedius: Intermediusneuralgie
• Sciatica: Sciatica ( " sciatica " )
• Median nerve carpal tunnel syndrome
• Vagus nerve: laryngeal - superior neuralgia
• Plantar nerves ( Nervi plantar ) of the tibial nerve: Morton neuralgia
• Greater occipital nerve: occipital neuralgia
• Genitofemoral nerve: Spermatikus neuralgia
• Ulnar nerve: Ulnarisrinnen syndrome ( " funny bone " )

Among the neuralgia in the area of head and neck is the most common trigeminal neuralgia, it is expected 10-20/100.000 inhabitants. Thereafter, the glossopharyngeal neuralgia, but which is 100 times less frequently already follows.

Weakest point

In common parlance, the term " critical point " exists. Thus, an environment, a situation or a place is meant, which entails certain difficulties or risks.