Seems all the traditional cause of TN points to demyelization of nerve and a blood vessel pressing against the nerve. While that would explain traditional TN1 in older patients, that doesn’t explain ATN, TN2 ,or pretty much any pain in younger patients.
My pain developed completely out of the blue more than 5 years ago… No dental work, no trigger, nothing….. Just a sunny day and I started feeling pain. Completely unexplainable! My original Dx is simply ATN, AFP, or Idiopathic facial pain.
I think in the past year or so I finally found some answers….. Just recently I have seen research even mentioning scaring as a cause. Below is just a case study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304207/
The most interesting note…
“The headache might not present for many years until the scar cicatrix tightens enough around the nerve to finally cause entrapment”
A few years before the pain I was viscously hit in the eye above were the pain (possible blowout fracture) above the nerve (infraorbital) where the pain currently resides. To me this is the only real logical explanation to the cause of the pain.
I am curious if anyone else has experience with trauma, can recall trauma, had delayed onset of pain after the trauma, or has had verification there is scar tissue? I am thinking this delayed onset of scar tissue contraction might be an under diagnosed reason for TN, especially for us who started experiencing pain “out of the blue” and is “idiopathic” in nature.
It seems research in TN is just in its infancy.. I Hope one day we can find more direct cause of our pain… and more importantly a cure!