The Headache in Your Face
There are more than 200 types of headaches, which all originate from tissue and various structures surrounding the brain. The brain is more susceptible to feel pain than other parts of the body because there are no nerves in the brain. This mean that when veins, sinuses, eyes, ears, or many other parts of the body near the brain become inflamed it will cause pain.
Though, not all headaches will be felt in the area surrounding the cerebrum, which is the part of the brain just below the skull. Cranial Neuralgia is a classification of headache that causes facial pain due to inflammation of one of the 12 nerves responsible for motor and sensation in the head and neck.
Inside Cranial Neuralgia
This refers to a group of headaches that are caused by the inflammation of the Trigeminal nerves in the head and the upper neck. That nerve damage could be due to environmental factors, such as cold, or a lesion in your body’s central pathways. So, what falls under this category of headache? Well, here are those conditions that lead to facial pain that can be included in this category.
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
- Nervus Intermedius Neuralgia
- Superior Laryngeal Neuralgia
- Nasocillary Neuralgia
- Supraorbital Neuralgia
- Other terminal branch Neuralgias
- Occiptal Neuralgia
- Neck-tongue Syndrome
- External Compression Headache
- Cold-Stimulus Headache
- Optic Neuritis
- Ocular Diabetic Neuropath
- Head or facial pain caused by herpes zoster
- Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome
- Opthalmoplegic Migraine
Your Face and Your Upper Cervical Spine
Cranial Neuralgia can also be caused by compression, irritation, or distortion by structural lesions in the upper cervical roots of the cranial nerves. Though, no matter the cause, the solution is always to restore your body’s communication system, so the nerves function properly. Yes, your facial pain may go away on it’s own, or it may not, but either way the nerve damage your body is experiencing will remain a factor until you do something about it.
Luckily, an upper cervical chiropractor can examine the top two vertebrae in your neck for any misalignments that may be the underlying cause of your nerve damage. They will, then, make any needed corrections to realign your neck to restore your body’s communication system and alleviate that nerve damage.
To find a Doctor in your area go to www.NUCCA.org or if you are in the Dublin, California area to schedule your NUCCA evaluation, click the button below:
Dr. Andrea Pritchett of Vital Life Wellness Center in Dublin, California is an Dublin Chiropractor and Upper Cervical Expert trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). Her upper cervical clinic also serves Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon and Danville. She is uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including children’s conditions such as ear infections, colic and scoliosis and problems that adults face including migraines and other headaches, fibromyalgia, sciatica, neck and back pain, and more. More information can be found on our website at https://www.vlifewellness.com/