Pain in the face: causes and what to do?

Pain in the face is characterized by one medical term “prosopalgia”. The reasons for their occurrence can be very diverse. To clarify the diagnosis, you need to see a doctor.

Pain in the face can be caused by the following reasons:

• Irritation of the nerve fibers that are located in the face.

• Muscle pain.

• Pain caused by damage to the bone tissue of the nasal sinuses and skull bones.

• Pain caused by inflammation of the skin.

• Pain caused by various diseases, such as migraine or osteochondrosis.

Pain can be concentrated both in one half of the face and over its entire surface.

Pain in the face associated with damage to muscle tissue

The face hurts, provided that the facial muscles, chewing muscles, and neck muscles are affected.

The following disorders can provoke such pain:

• Incorrect bite due to which chewing muscles, jaws and teeth suffer.

• Frequent emotional upheavals. At such moments, people tightly clench their jaws, which causes pain.

• Neurological and mental disorders. In this case, the nerve centers that regulate muscle tone suffer. This can lead to severe pain.

• Osteochondrosis of the upper spine. Pain extends to the neck, occipital muscles and facial muscles.

• Received soft tissue injuries. This also includes damage to the temporomandibular joint.

To find the source of pain, you need to consult a neurologist. Treatment of such pathologies is reduced to taking sedatives and muscle relaxants. Effective physiotherapy.

Pain in the face due to damage to its bone structures

The face can hurt when its bone tissue suffers.

The following disorders can provoke such pain:

• Osteomyelitis, in which the bones of the skull become inflamed. Pathology develops most often due to pulpitis, caries, periodontitis. In parallel, a person’s body temperature rises, the face swells.

• Skull injuries. The pain will be intense, may be accompanied by bleeding.

• Trauma, infection, or inflammation of the temporomandibular joint. These disorders are accompanied by painful sensations in the face. The intensity and nature of pain depends on the specific etiological factor.

Pain caused by skin diseases

Facial skin may hurt in the following cases:

• There was a soft tissue injury.

• A malignant tumor – melanoma – develops on the face. Often this neoplasm appears from a mole when its cells are reborn.

• Acne, that is, blackheads, can hurt. This is especially true for rashes that are located deep under the skin. You can get rid of acne with the help of antiseptic and antibacterial creams and lotions. Skin needs to be properly cared for.

• An allergic reaction such as angioedema may be accompanied by facial pain. At the same time, the person’s eyes and soft tissues turn red and watery. The larynx is very swollen, which can lead to suffocation.

Sometimes facial pain can be associated with causes that are not related to any diseases. So, the face and scalp can hurt due to wearing too tight elastic bands and hairpins.

When facial pain is associated with neuralgia

With neuralgia, irritation of the facial nerve occurs. It can be subjected to pressure from various neoplasms, dilated vessels, or inflammatory reactions. It also happens that the cause of neuralgia cannot be established.

Pain will vary depending on which nerve is affected.

• Damage to the facial nerve. The facial nerve rarely responds with pain, as it is more responsible for motor rather than sensory activity. However, if his neuritis develops, the person will experience pain on one side of the face. Other symptoms of the lesion include a violation of facial expressions, facial asymmetry, an increase in the size of the eye neck, a distortion of taste, and pain behind the ear. To determine the cause of the pathology, a consultation with a neurologist is necessary.

• Trigeminal neuralgia. The trigeminal nerve is the main nerve responsible for facial sensation. It has three branches. Pain will vary depending on which branch is affected.

  The main symptoms of damage to the trigeminal nerve:

  1. The pain is paroxysmal, they do not last long – about 2 minutes.

  2. The person’s face, as it were, pricks from the inside. The pain is very intense, makes the patient suffer.

  3. Pain occurs on one side of the face.

  4. Pain can radiate to the jaw, neck, ears, and even to the index finger. It largely depends on how and where the facial nerve passes in a person.

  5. With the defeat of the trigeminal nerve, the patient may twitch the face according to the type of tics.

  6. When the attack ends, the person is not worried about anything.

  To clarify the cause of pain, you need to contact a neurologist. Treatment involves taking antiepileptic and pain medications. If medical correction does not allow to cope with the problem, then the patient is referred for surgery.

• Neuralgia of other nerves of the face. A person’s face is also riddled with other nerves. Therefore, pain in this area can be triggered by their defeat:

  1. Pain in the tongue, face, throat and tonsils develops if the glossopharyngeal nerve is affected. Eating very hot or very cold foods can provoke such a violation.

  2. Pain on one side of the face and in the larynx can be caused by damage to the superior laryngeal nerve. In addition, a person suffers from coughing fits, from increased salivation, from hiccups.

  3. The face, as well as the teeth, eyes and jaw will hurt when the pterygopalatine ganglion is affected in a person. In parallel, he suffers from an incessant runny nose, tears flow from him, his face swells, his eyes turn red.

  4. Pain in the face with localization behind the eyes and between them occurs if the nasociliary nerve is affected. The patient changes the size of the palpebral fissure, he is worried about rhinitis. This nerve rarely becomes inflamed.

All these pathologies are diagnosed and treated by a neurologist.

Facial pain for no reason

Sometimes even a comprehensive examination does not allow clarifying the nature of pain in the face. In this case, doctors talk about atypical pain.

Such uncomfortable sensations have a number of features:

• Atypical pain is diagnosed mainly in female patients, aged 30-60 years.

• The pain is concentrated on one side of the face, or can spread over its entire surface. Often, patients cannot even say exactly where exactly their face hurts.

• Pain rarely occurs at night, but increases with nervous strain and overheating.

• The pain is predominantly superficial, but its nature may vary.

• It can hurt not only the face, but also the oral cavity, including the tongue and teeth.

• These pains last for a long time. Periods of exacerbation are replaced by periods of calm.

• Paresthesias may occur in the facial area.

Experts call the most likely cause of atypical pain a violation of the production of a number of neurotransmitters in the brain. They ensure the normal transmission of nerve impulses. Stress, psychogenic diseases, dental treatment, etc. can provoke an attack of pain.

Pain in the face associated with damage to the teeth

Sometimes a person’s face can hurt due to problems related to dental health.

The following pathologies can lead to such pain:

• deep caries.

• Pulpitis.

• Periodontitis

• Periodontitis, complicated by an abscess.

• Osteomyelitis.

Often the source of the pain cannot be identified the first time. To suggest that it occurs due to damage to the teeth, an increase in discomfort during the use of too hot, cold or sour food can. Possible increase in body temperature. Treatment should be handled by a dentist.

Sometimes facial pain occurs after a bad tooth has been treated.

In this case, it can indicate various complications, including:

Trigeminal neuropathy. It is possible that during the treatment he was hurt.

• Inflammation of the root of the tooth due to unprofessional actions of the dentist.

• Accession of a purulent infection.

• Leaving foreign objects in the canals of the tooth.

• Poor tooth extraction.

To endure such pain should not be categorically, it is necessary to contact the dentist as soon as possible.

Vascular pathologies

Inflammation of blood vessels can lead to pain in the face. When Treating the trigeminal nerve with folk remedies Treatment of the trigeminal nerve with folk remedies affects the temporal artery, which provokes pain in the temporal region and in the jaw.

With carotidinia, the carotid artery suffers, which is accompanied by pain in the neck, jaw and ears. On palpation of the carotid artery, the pain is significantly increased.

What to do with pain in the face? Treatment Methods

To eliminate pain in the face associated with neurology, it is necessary first of all to direct efforts to alleviate the condition of the person. For this purpose, anti-inflammatory drugs are taken. After it is possible to stop the inflammatory reaction, you can proceed to the next stage of treatment.

It consists in the passage of physiotherapy, among which:

• Ultrasound treatment.

• Passage of a course of massage.

• Acupuncture.

• Paraffin therapy.

• Implementation of medical and physical education complexes.

You need to tune in to the fact that it will take a long time to treat diseases of a neurological nature. Sometimes the therapeutic course is extended for a year. The prognosis is most often favorable. In 75% of cases it is possible to achieve a complete recovery. If conservative therapy does not bring the desired result, then the patient is sent for surgery.

To avoid the development of neurological diseases accompanied by pain in the face, it is necessary to avoid hypothermia, to prevent injuries to the bones and soft tissues of the face. Sometimes even a banal ARVI can become an impetus for the manifestation of neurological pathology with severe pain.

If facial pain develops due to inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, then therapy is reduced to the following steps:

• At the time of treatment, the load on the joint should be minimal. Patients are advised to avoid hard foods.

• To relieve inflammation and eliminate pain, it is necessary to take drugs prescribed by a doctor.

• If necessary, the patient should undergo physiotherapy.

• If conservative treatment does not achieve the desired effect, then the patient is shown surgery.

Video: Why does my face hurt? Explanations by a neurologist of the causes of pain: