Facial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia

Cause of facial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia

Facial Spasm

The facial nerve, which controls facial expression (movement), is a single nerve on each side of the face that sends instructions to the muscles on that side. Spasms are believed to occur when blood vessels carrying blood to the brain compress this nerve at the point where it leaves the brain, hyperstimulating the nerve and causing spasms. Facial spasms due to this cause do not occur at the same time on both sides of the face. If symptoms are present on both sides, other causes must be considered.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

The trigeminal nerve, which controls facial perception (sensation), is also a single nerve on each side of the face that transmits sensory information from the face to the brain. It has three major branches (the "tri" in "trigeminal" means "three"), which join together at the back of the face, forming a thick single nerve that enters the brain. It is believed that blood vessels carrying blood to the brain compress the nerve at the point where it enters the brain, hyperstimulating the nerve and causing signals that are perceived as pain. Trigeminal neuralgia due to this cause occurs only on one side of the face, and if symptoms are present on both sides, other causes must be considered.

(The nerve covering (sheath) is weak at the points just after a nerve exits the brainstem and where it enters the brain, and it is believed that if a vessel carrying blood to the brain touches the nerve at such sites, pulsations with blood flow can put pressure on the nerve, inducing excess nerve activity. Formation of a mass (brain tumor, etc.) at this location can also cause symptoms such as spasms or pain.)

Diagnosis of facial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia

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