Have you or anyone you know had good results using Acupuncture for Trigeminal Neuralgia pain?

Answer 1

I think it's worth a try because of the Pain being in your face. the acupuncture needles would be inserted into your face. It's very possible it could help.

I'm sure you know the other alternatives are different types of surgery for this pain.

Alcohol injection. Alcohol injections under the skin of your face, where the branches of the trigeminal nerve leave the bones of your face, may offer temporary pain relief by numbing the areas for weeks or months. Because the pain relief isn't permanent, you may need repeated injections or a different procedure.

Glycerol injection. This procedure is called percutaneous glycerol rhizotomy (PGR). "Percutaneous" means through the skin. Your doctor inserts a needle through your face and into an opening in the base of your skull. The needle is guided into the trigeminal cistern, a small sac of spinal fluid that surrounds the trigeminal nerve ganglion (the area where the trigeminal nerve divides into three branches) and part of its root. Images are made to confirm that the needle is in the proper location. After confirming the location, your doctor injects a small amount of sterile glycerol. After three or four hours, the glycerol damages the trigeminal nerve and blocks pain signals. Initially, PGR relieves pain in most people. However, some people have a recurrence of pain, and many experience facial numbness or tingling.

Balloon compression. In a procedure called percutaneous balloon compression of the trigeminal nerve (PBCTN), your doctor inserts a hollow needle through your face and into an opening in the base of your skull. Then, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) with a balloon on the end is threaded through the needle. The balloon is inflated with enough pressure to damage the nerve and block pain signals. PBCTN successfully controls pain in most people, at least for a while. Most people undergoing PBCTN experience facial numbness of varying degrees, and more than half experience nerve damage resulting in a temporary or permanent weakness of the muscles used to chew.

Electric current. A procedure called percutaneous stereotactic radiofrequency thermal rhizotomy (PSRTR) selectively destroys nerve fibers associated with pain. Your doctor threads a needle through your face and into an opening in your skull. Once in place, an electrode is threaded through the needle until it rests against the nerve root.

An electric current is passed through the tip of the electrode until it's heated to the desired temperature. The heated tip damages the nerve fibers and creates an area of injury (lesion). If your pain isn't eliminated, your doctor may create additional lesions.

You can talk over these different procedures with your medical doctor.

Best wishes,
Billie77

Answer 2

Of all the reasons responsible for the popularity of Korean Hand Acupuncture, one is that it is far safer than traditional acupuncture. This is taking the things too extreme because acupuncture is regarded as safest procedure. So if you get similar results with even safer procedure using the same general principles, it would certainly become popular.