Does anyone experience neck pain with TN? Not the shock pain, but general neck pain. Also, does the trigeminal nerve affect the back of the throat?
Not a Dr here, but from what I have learned TN can effect swallowing and for me sometimes it sure seems to. No neck pain, but it has been discussed here, I get a popping/creaking type noise if I move neck certain way that I did not ever get before TN. have not found anything concrete, but since being on Gabapentin I am constantly thirsty, I wonder if it just dries my mouth and throat out? Not sure what meds you are on. Definitely sounds like a call to your Dr is in order to see if you can find out if TN related or something else. As we all know hard because so much is unknown and it effects us all so differently sometimes. There are a lot of videos on the web that show the nerve and talk about what it controls. Please let us know and take care of you!
Betsy
hi ya i was just reading your post and i know what your talking about i get a teirbile pain in my neck and between my shoulder s before i get the pain in my face thats how i no iam getting it ive sufferd with the pain in my neck for 3 weeks now and the trigermingerl pain in my face is starting to niggle at me so i will be in a lot of pain by sunday i realy dont no how iam coping with it iam on tregadol 3 times a day and they arnt working for me
Yes, I get both: a general neck discomfort and severe, one-sided jolts down my throat, somtimes radiating into my upper chest.
I am currently trying out myofascial release, and there is clearly a link between my neck and TN. She barely touches my neck and my face goes off like an alrm. We are at the moment approaching it very gently, and also adding some massage.
I find that the semi-supine position from alexander technique can bring me some neck relief which often relieves my ATN.
http://www.alexanderteacher.net/lyingdown.html
Same with a heat pad to the neck. If anyone else have neck involvement with their TN, I would love to know howyou deal with it.
I do have pain in the right side of my neck at the base of the skull, between the back of the ear and about 1/2 way to the spine. But I also have pain in my right arm, and in my right ribs, so my situation is definitely atypical - atypcial TN.
I know of cases where individuals have had good results from Atlas (upper vertebra, at base of skull) and Blair type chiropractic treatments.
Liam, could you give some more detail? Did you try it, and what are those exactly?
Hi Tineline. I have a long history with right side TN. I've had an MVD (1999), combined glycerol/radiofrequncy rhizotomy (2011), and Gamma Knife (February, 2015). I am slowly beginning to feel the effects of the latter procedure, but don't know what to expect in my case. I'm still on high-dose Carbamazepine, but am tapering down slowly. I'm still getting occasional twinges if I'm not careful about eating, etc. But nothing at all like full blown TN attacks.
And yes, I also have neck problems involving pain and popping, which makes me wonder if some of my TN problems derive from neck problems which originate from long hours spent at the computer with poor posture.
I first learned about the Atlas and Blair chiroractic treatments for TN on the TN-L listserver which I have been on for many years. Some members who have had different types of surgical procedures without success, tried the Atlas and Blair procedures and had success with their TN. I have not tried Atlas or Blair, but plan to consult an Atlas type chiropractor who lives in my region. If it can possibly prevent more TN episodes in the future, the effort will be worth it.
The Atlas type chiropractors are referred to as NUCCA chiropractors. You can read about them at http://www.nuccainfo.com/nucca.html. You can read about Blair at http://www.blairchiropractic.com/the-blair-technique
Hi Tineline. I am currently in communication with a person on the TN-L listserver who has been a computer programmer for 40 years, and has had TN for 36 years. She has had multiple failed TN surgeries. She also suspects that poor posture at the computer contributed to her TN problems. She is now consulting a Blair type chiropractor and is having success with her TN.
yes .I do have pain in the right side of my neck ,at the back of ear and upper back to right arm. these all parts becomes stiff due to spasm with pain.heated pad comforts me at that time .
I also have been experiencing neck pain lately that just won’t seem to go away. At times it is also leading to tension headaches in addition to TN pain. I have started to see a chiropractor for the neck pain (3 visits to date) but can’t tell if it’s better or worse at times.
YES I have neck pain with my TN2. After an MRI it was determined that I had 3 slightly bulging disks. I had an epidural (3 shots 2 weeks apart) and all my neck pain went away! It's been two years now since I had serious neck pain. Of course I still have the TN2 in my left upper jaw, I had my two rear upper teeth pulled in 1981, of course that didn't do anything. and it never goes away (since 1980). I get occasional neck pain now, after two years of no pain and I use Capzasin for some temporary relief and I'm probably gonna get another epidural soon. Good luck and maybe ask about an epidural.
Wo, clearly, neck involvement is quite common! I wonder why we do not hear more about it. Liam, thanks for the info. if the myofascial release does not have the wanted effect, then chiropractics is clearly something to look into.
Personally, I get more or less immediate relief from upper cheek/forehead ATN when I apply heat to the neck, and only just discovered that link. This thing never fails to surprise me. I am going to apply a more structured neck tactic from now on, hopefully it may help a little.
Hi Tineline. I've noted that when I used a vibrating hedge trimmer, especially if I held it up high, it would worsen my TN. Discussions with a person on the TN-L listserver disclosed whenever she used a hedge trimmer, it also worsened her TN. We are wondering if some such activities might pull the neck vertebrae out of alignment, worsening TN. She will discuss the topic with her Blair-type chiropractor during her next visit with him to see if there are certain activities that we TN patients might best avoid.
I've also noted that whenever I use some types of garden machines I get myofascial trigger points in my neck muscles. I've wondered if they can also pull the neck out of alignment.
As I noted above, I underwent a GK procedure for TN in February 2015. My TN seems to be slowly going away, but I am not out of the woods yet. I am tapering down Carbazmazapine slowly, and am no longer getting the horrific TN shocks, but still get occasional twinges. However, I have no idea what to expect as to whether the twinges might finally go away, or whether I can get off Carbamazaine completely, or will have to stay on it into the future. Whatever the case, as soon as I give the GK sufficient time to run its course, I will consult an Atlas type chiropractor to examine the status of my neck vertebrae, and to gain knowledge on how to keep the neck in alignment.
I would personally not consult a standard chiropractor for TN, and especially those who indulge in neck "cracking." I had a bad experience with one of those several years ago. The Atlas and Blair methods are very gentle, and some TN patients are having good luck with them.
I was speaking with a friend who has Migraines -- and she has the same exact spot on her neck -- at the base of the skull halfway from the ear to the spine that signals for her a coming migraine. For me it is present when I'm in a bad flare.
This is very interesting. About three weeks ago I woke up with an incredibly stiff and sore neck. I went to the Dr. and she reminded me that on my last MRI there was a bulging disc in my cervical spine at C5-C6. I am bilateral but my left is way, way worse and I get pain down that side of my neck, across my shoulder blade and down my arm. I do some research and that is exactly the pain distribution for the disc bulge. I had no idea and have this pain with my TN attacks.
She recommends physical therapy, which I have started. Immediately after the first manipulation my neck feels way better. She gently gets her fingers right in my cervical spine. C5-C6 is very tender but what was surprising is that there is a certain spot she touched in my cervical spine that radiated up onto my face in a very familiar pattern that has plagued me for about six months. My around the left eye ATN pain. I was also diagnosed a couple of months with migraines over that eye. Very, very painful.
So the physio said that pain is connected to my neck. She is being very, very gentle bc I have all of these nerve issues. We are doing acupuncture and I will be meeting with an Osteopath there.
I am really starting to think my facial pain could be connected to my neck. I work primarily in front of the computer four days a week and this has obviously contributed to my cervical spine issues. Maybe interesting that my ATN came on slowly about three months after I started this job.
Now I am always looking for correlations or reasons why I have this pain so this all just speculative right now. We shall see though if these treatments help. Interesting that so many of us have problems with our necks.
I just popped on this site because I was sitting at my computer and all of a sudden had my terrible awful pain for about 3 minutes in my neck, right below my ear and down my neck. I remember asking my neurologist about it before and she said it was probably a pulled muscle at the time. I was wondering who help struggles with that? I have TN2 so I'm constantly in some kind of pain, usually a dull throbbing I've often described as a tooth ache, but every once in a while I get to feel the fun sharp pain of TN.
The neck pain is a beast though, but I figure it has to be the TN because it doesn't last long, thank the Lord, and comes at the weirdest points.. It will usually lodge in my year for a bit, then go back to my normal. Ah the joys!
Hi, I also experience pain in the neck and left shoulder. Also the throat is affected. Don't know why neck and shoulder pain is there, but it is.