The most commons forms of neuralgia are postherpetic neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia. The symptoms include pain, increased sensitivity or numbness and muscle weakness.
Pain can be described as a mild ache or a crushing sensation with a heavy, burning feeling. It is often located in forehead/temples/ears/jaw/around the eyes/teeth/neck. It worsens when making facial expressions/chewing/talking. The pain can be intermittent or constant and feels near the surface of the skin.
Along with pain, the individual with neuralgia may feel changes in sensation. Signs of increased sensitivity include tenderness, tingling or a painful response to gentle pressure, temperature and vibration. In contrast, the individual may complain of numbness along the path of the nerve.
The muscles that are supplied by the nerve affected by neuralgia may spasm, feel weak or completely paralysed. This will reduce the individual’s ability to move the affected limb and complete normal day to day activities such as walking, getting washed and dressed and moving around.
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