This is how intermittent headaches are caused

Intermittent headaches are also called trigeminal neuralgia. They usually occur without any warning, but they cause needle-like pain that is unbearable and seriously affects people's study and life. But what exactly causes these intermittent headaches? Most people don't understand this. In fact, intermittent headaches are caused by many reasons. The ultimate culprit is central nervous system disease, so don't ignore it.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that intermittent headaches are caused by disease of the three yang meridians in the head. The exogenous wind, cold, fire and phlegm combine to cause stagnation of wind and cold, or burns from wind and fire, or obstruction of the three yang meridians by wind and phlegm, resulting in pain.

Western medicine believes that there are two types of trigeminal neuralgia: primary and secondary. Secondary trigeminal neuralgia is caused by diseases such as tumors of the pontocerebellar angle, tumors of the trigeminal nerve root or semilunar ganglion, vascular malformations, aneurysms, meningoiditis, multiple sclerosis, etc. Primary trigeminal neuralgia is mainly a central nervous system disease.

1. Causes of primary trigeminal nerve

⑴ Central causes: The paroxysmal nature of trigeminal neuralgia suggests a sensory epileptic-like discharge, which may be located within the trigeminal spinal nucleus or other central parts. The sudden onset of trigeminal neuralgia, its short duration, the presence of trigger points, the effectiveness of antiepileptic treatment, and the presence of focal epileptiform discharges recorded in the midbrain during attacks all support the central etiology. However, this theory is difficult to explain many phenomena seen in clinical practice.

⑵ Peripheral etiology: The etiology is in the posterior root between the semilunar ganglion and the pons. Most of the literature reports tend to be peripheral lesions. There are the following theories:

① Mechanical compression or traction of the trigeminal nerve root, including compression from various tumors of the pontine peduncle, cholesteatoma, epidermoid carcinoma, arterial and venous compression, thickening and adhesion of the arachnoid membrane, fiber bundles adhering to the petrous part of the temporal bone traction on the trigeminal nerve root, protrusion of the petrous apex bone and cerebral edema compressing the trigeminal nerve, etc.

②Arteriosclerosis causes insufficient blood supply to the trigeminal nerve.

③Multiple sclerosis or spontaneous demyelinating disease.

④Familial trigeminal neuralgia. Most clinical data indicate that vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root is the main cause of primary trigeminal neuralgia.

2. Causes of secondary trigeminal neuralgia

Secondary trigeminal neuralgia is trigeminal neuralgia caused by various organic diseases inside and outside the skull. Symptoms of facial pain similar to those of primary trigeminal neuralgia appear, but the pain is milder, the pain attack lasts longer, or it is continuous pain with paroxysmal aggravation.