Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research

Abstract

This study deals with the assessment and treatment of a 45-year-old female suffering from trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The neuralgic pain was recurrent lancinating right-sided facial, which run along mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve, shooting from the corner of the mouth to the angle of the jaw. The patient’s main complaint was sudden neural pain along with persistent fatigue in the face that developed following talking and remained after the attacks. Patient’s neurologist prescribed carbamazepine and referred the patient to the physiotherapy center. Physiotherapy approach included electrotherapy [transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), ultrasound (US), low-level laser therapy, and superficial moist heat], manual therapy, exercise therapy, and self-massage education. The patient was treated in 15 sessions, and final examinations indicated a significant decrease in frequency of neural attacks, reduction in the durability of facial fatigue following the neural attacks, and improvement in initiation time of facial fatigue while talking. We suggest that physiotherapy approach along with medication can be effective in relieving symptoms in patient suffering from TN. Sharing the experiences of physiotherapist and neurologist can make this belief that physiotherapy can be effective in such complicated cases where medication alone is not effective.