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Manual Therapies Reduce Pain Associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Susan Vaughan Kratz

Introduction: Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) can be an extremely debilitating condition effecting quality of life, emotional well-being, and engagement in daily occupation. Surgical and medication treatments are cited extensively through the literature but can have undesired side effects, can lose effectiveness over time, or are quite invasive. Little is reported about craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, or other gentle manual techniques as treatment options. Objective: This paper introduces and summarizes the experiential process and outcomes of three adults receiving manual therapies to treat TN. This review investigates low-risk, conservation clinical options and explores for treatment guidelines for TN. Method: Chart review and client interviews in multiple follow-up contacts of a convenience sample to explore immediate and long term outcomes. All treatment techniques utilized per clients are summarized, and include: Upledger’s CranioSacral Therapy (U-CST); Chikly’s brain curriculum for lymphatic enhancement and nerve down-regulation techniques; and Wanveer’s glia structure and glymphatic mobilization techniques. One occurrence of a spontaneous Somato-Emotional Release technique was also called for. Measurement of baseline and outcomes was conducted using: Verbal descriptor scale; Verbal numeric rating scale; Visual analog scale (VAS); and Self-report of quality of life and pain’s impact upon performing daily activities. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis Conclusion: Three adults reported individual positive changes or resolution of TN pain. All three reported restoration of quality of life and emotional well-being. One made use of techniques for self-help Comparison to other methods, or variations of these methods utilizing the same names or terminologies, should be avoided. This report is an attempt to aid in the needed clarification between different approaches used in clinical practices. Positive responses suggest that these methods hold value for further study as a viable treatment option to address the agony of neuralgia.