What is Trigeminal Neuralgia? (And How Do I Recover?)

By Dr. Valerie Monteiro Last updated Mar 14, 2025

Trigeminal neuralgia often feels like a lightning bolt striking your face out of nowhere and stopping you in your tracks. It is not your average face pain; it is intense, frustrating, and sometimes downright relentless.

Understanding the Trigeminal Nerve Pathway

The trigeminal nerve is like a tree with three branches across your face. One branch covers your forehead and eyes, another your cheeks, and the third your jaw and chin.

Each branch sends messages to different parts of your face. When the nerve is inflammed or damaged by compression, pain can strike any of these areas.

Trigeminal Neuralgia: When the Trigeminal Nerve Malfunctions

In another analogy, the trigeminal nerve is like a highway, carrying all the sensory signals from your face to your brain. In most cases, traffic flows smoothly, allowing the signals to travel without issue.

But, when an accident happens or a car breaks down and blocks the road, traffic slows down or stops completely.

For the trigeminal nerve, the traffic jam looks like pressure or irritation on the nerve that disrupts the electrical flow. The miscommunication sends distorted signals through the nervous system, resulting in sudden intense pain.

The symptoms hit hard. Sudden electric shock pain can strike your jaw, cheek, or forehead, along with tingling, burning, or numbness.

The most challenging part of the condition is the unpredictability.

For some people, the symptoms may start gradually, with mild twinges or sensations, like a tickle or a dull ache. Over time, the symptoms build, evolving into the classic, intense pain of trigeminal neuralgia.

However, most people experience the sudden and unexpected onset of pain.

Trigeminal Neuralgia vs. Shingles: How to Tell the Difference

People often mistake trigeminal neuralgia and shingles for each other because they share similar symptoms.

Some easy ways to tell them apart are that trigeminal neuralgia’s pain is sudden and intense and only lasts seconds to minutes. It’s often triggered by everyday activities like brushing teeth, chewing, talking, touching your face, or a breeze hitting your skin.

For shingles, the pain does not come in short bursts. It is a continuous aching and burning. Furthermore, shingles come with rashes and blisters along the nerve path. You will never see a rash with trigeminal neuralgia.

What Causes Trigeminal Neuralgia?

The most common cause of trigeminal neuralgia is nerve compression from a nearby blood vessel. Over a long period of time, it damages the myelin sheath and creates “short circuits,” causing the nerve to misfire and send sharp, electric shocks of pain.

Another cause is high blood pressure, causing the arteries to pulsate more forcefully, leading to increased pressure on the nerve.

Other causes include:

Multiple sclerosis damages the myelin sheath
Head or facial trauma shifting the position of blood vessels or the nerve
Dental surgery causing direct nerve damage
Chronic infections with inflammation put pressure on the nerve
Tumors or growths like cysts compressing the nerve

Sometimes, the final trigger, like a sneeze, a cough, or stress, tips the scales, and suddenly, the nerve pain appears.

Non-Surgical Options for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Recovery is possible. You can reduce your pain, repair your nerves, and break free from the torture you have been dealing with. Here are some steps to start your journey.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) Therapy

Studies show that photobiomodulation can be highly effective for trigeminal neuralgia by:

Providing significant pain relief
Reducing inflammation
Enhancing blood flow to deliver oxygen and nutrients
Boosting ATP production, which fuels nerve repair

Ultimately, PBM stimulates nerve repair and regeneration.

Furthermore, if you have MS-related trigeminal neuralgia, PBM improves nerve function and reduces symptom severity.

However, not all PBM devices are created equal. Most PBM devices on the market are useless for nerve damage.

Research suggests that near-infrared light in the 800-980 nm range penetrates deep enough to reach the trigeminal nerve and promote nerve regeneration.

Critical Nutrients

While PBM is a game-changer, it is not the only thing your nerves need to recover. Nerve repair requires the right fuel, providing your body with critical nutrients essential for nerve regeneration.

To properly support trigeminal nerve repair, you’ll need

R-alpha lipoic acid- a powerful antioxidant for reducing nerve inflammation
Acetyl-L-carnitine- supporting mitochondrial function for nerve repair
Methylcobalamin (B12) – essential for rebuilding the myelin sheath
Benfotiamine (B1)- supports nerve conduction and reduces oxidative stress
Pyridoxal-5-phosphate- crucial cofactor for nerve function and repair

It’s imperative to use all the vital nutrients in their proper therapeutic dose for maximum effectiveness.

Furthermore, the trigeminal nerve is part of the peripheral nervous system, meaning the exact nutrient dosages to repair other peripheral nerves also apply to repairing this nerve. We cover the dosages in our video, The Right Dose, to help you get the dosages right from the start.

Many store-bought supplements do not carry the therapeutic doses used in research studies, making it hard to get the right amounts.

For this reason, Dr. Coppola and I recommend Nuphoria cm Gold and Nerve Defense to achieve clinically effective dosages.

We recommend using both the nutrients and PBM right out of the gate because trigeminal neuralgia is typically more challenging to treat than other forms of peripheral neuropathy.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Trigeminal Neuralgia?

If you have trigeminal neuralgia, patience is key. The trigeminal nerve is complex. In most cases, it takes 3-6 months before you notice a significant improvement.

The methods above are not a quick fix but a rebuilding process from the inside out.

Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Treatments: What Are Your Options?

An important note: If your trigeminal neuralgia is caused by vascular compression–meaning a blood vessel is physically pressing on the nerve–neither PBM nor critical nutrients can relieve the compression on the blood vessel. They will help significantly decrease inflammation surrounding the nerve and to decrease your symptoms as the problem is treated.

We recommend adding manual therapy and trigger point therapy to release chronically tight muscles that may be contributing to the tension on the blood vessels. In some cases, you can avoid surgery entirely.

If surgery becomes necessary, the most successful technique has been microvascular decompression. 82% of people undergoing the surgery experience initial pain relief; however, 10-year follow-ups have shown that symptoms return for 32% of people.

If surgery becomes your best option, PBM before and after surgery significantly improves the outcomes and recovery. Surgery should always be a last resort, as there’s always risk associated with surgery.

Whether your trigeminal neuralgia is caused by nerve inflammation, vascular compression, or another factor, you have options outside of medication and surgery.

Treatments like photobiomodulation, key nutrients, and strategic therapies can make a difference. You can recover. Small, consistent steps can lead to significant changes.

Struggling with Neuropathy?

Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro’s dedication to combating neuropathy is deeply personal, stemming from Dr. Monteiro’s experience with her mother’s severe chemo-induced neuropathy. This personal journey fueled their commitment to develop a systematic, drug-free approach to reversing neuropathy.

They founded the San Antonio Neuropathy Center, where they’ve successfully treated over 18,000 patients over the past two decades. Their acclaimed book, “Defeat Neuropathy Now in Spite of Your Doctor,” along with their neuropathy product line, stands as a testament to their expertise and innovative solutions.

Recognized as leading neuropathy specialists in America, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro offer a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with this challenging condition. If you or a loved one is seeking relief from neuropathy, reach out to us at 844 400-0101 or email us through our contact page – Click here.

Your path to healing can start today.