Neuropathic Pain
What is Neuropathic Pain?
Neuropathic pain is a localized sensation of unpleasant discomfort caused by damage or other health issues that affect the somatosensory system.
The IASP’s widely used definition of pain states: “Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” Neuropathic pain may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia, and pain from normally non-painful stimuli (allodynia). It may have continuous and/or episodic (paroxysmal) components. The latter resemble stabbings or electric shocks of pain.
Neuropathic Pain Diagnosis
The severity of your TMJ pain needs to be assessed. Patients with TMD and TMJ frequently suffer from localized pain, restricted jaw movement, and jaw locking noise from the TMJ during jaw movement, as well as less specific symptoms.
Each individual may be assessed differently depending on the health history and symptoms. If a closer proximity between the TMJ disk and the mandibular nerve is found, it could be a cause of the onset of neuropathic pain in patients suffering from bogth TMJ-D and neuropathic pain.
“At the maximal open-mouth position, the distance between the TMJ disk and the mandibular nerve is shorter in patients with TMJ-D and neuropathic pain than in patients with TMJ-D without neuropathic pain or in healthy volunteers (P < .05). The imaging findings of TMJ internal derangement, effusion, osteoarthrosis, and bone marrow edema were present both in patients with TMJ-D without neuropathic pain and in patients with TMJ-D and neuropathic pain." - Neuropathic pain in temporomandibular joint disorders: case-control analysis by MR imaging
Common Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain
Common qualities include burning or coldness, “pins and needles” sensations, numbness and itching. Nociceptive pain, by contrast, is more commonly described as aching. Up to 7% to 8% of the European population is affected, and in 5% of persons it may be severe. Neuropathic pain may result from disorders of the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Thus, neuropathic pain may be divided into peripheral neuropathic pain, central neuropathic pain, or mixed (peripheral and central) neuropathic pain. Burning mouth syndrome may be considered in your diagnosis.
Can TMJ Trigger Neuropathic Pain?
A person may feel “false synapses” that fire and trigger — continuously and antidromically — the trigeminal spinal nucleus of the brain stem. While this might seem a reasonable explanation of the neuropathic pain and sensory symptoms that affect some patients with TMJ-D (eg, headache, cervicalgia, toothache, etc., it is best to be diagnoised by an Orofacial Pain Specialist. We believe that patienst should and can gain pain relief from TMJ discomfort, jaw clenching, headaches, and tension with our TMD Pain Management. Experience the benefits of reduced stiffness, alleviated pain & decreased overall tension.
Trigeminal neuralgia and a TMJ disorder can occur together. When it does, pain from trigeminal neuralgia may worsen by jaw muscle issues. Chronic temporomandibular disorder pain patients with a history of neuropathic pain treatment benefit from early diagnosis and a review of thier treatment history. Structural neuroimaging methods continue to investigate peripheral and central changes in chronic painful TMD.
More dedicated research is in progress to shed light on this prevalent condition affecting millions worldwide. More pain treatment courses are answering what people are searching for on the topic to gain the help they need. Chronic pain exists in many different forms, and the etiologies of some are still not well understood. Although most chronic pain researchers have focused on peripheral targets such as nociceptors and their terminations, there is evidence that changes within higher brain centers may also be important for the maintenance and/or development of some chronic pain conditions.
