What is Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia?
Not unlike trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a nerve condition that affects the throat and mouth, causing patients with this condition severe discomfort and difficulty eating/swallowing. While modern medical treatments do exist, they are primarily focused on managing the symptoms of this condition and, unfortunately, most doctors will tell you that this condition is incurable. However, recent research has begun to identify a potential link between glossopharyngeal neuralgia and the upper cervical spine.
Signs and Symptoms of Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is characterized by sporadic yet severe episodes of pain in the tongue, throat, ears, and/or tonsils. Patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia often explain the pain as feeling like a searing electric shock. When patients first begin to experience this condition, these episodes are often few and far between. Over time, the condition will begin to worsen, with episodes becoming more frequent and increasing in severity.
Episodes can be triggered by everyday activities, such as chewing, laughing, speaking, swallowing, yawning, sneezing, coughing, or drinking cold beverages.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
The upper cervical spine supports and shelters the brainstem and integral components of the central nervous system; glossopharyngeal neuralgia is believed to be caused by irritation to the ninth cranial nerve, or the glossopharyngeal nerve. The cause of this irritation often goes undiscovered, but upper cervical chiropractic treatment may have finally found an answer.
Misalignments in the upper cervical spine can result from trauma or injury to the head, neck, or back. While these misalignments may not cause any immediate symptoms, the vertebrae can remain out of place, putting stress and pressure on the glossopharyngeal nerve. Over time, this pressure will irritate the nerve, resulting in the occurrence of glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
How Our Upper Cervical Treatment for Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia Works
Our glossopharyngeal neuralgia specialist, Dr. Gordon Elder, is an expert in the Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Technique. This chiropractic technique focuses on restoring the upper cervical spine through gentle and precise spinal correction, thereby improving overall spine health. Ultimately, maintaining a healthy spine guarantees that the spinal column and surrounding nerves will function correctly.
Dr. Elder employs a multi-step approach to identifying and treating this condition. First, patients will undergo a 25–30-minute consultation to determine if a vertebral misalignment is causing the glossopharyngeal neuralgia symptoms. Following your consult, Dr. Elder will deliver a brief report on your results, where you’ll also have the opportunity to ask Dr. Elder any questions about your condition. This process will likely involve the use of advanced 3-D imaging diagnostic techniques to determine the specific location of any misalignments.
Next, Dr. Elder will use Blair's chiropractic low-force adjustment techniques to restore misaligned vertebrae back into their natural position, thereby allowing the body’s natural healing mechanisms to restore and maintain proper nerve flow.
Following the initial adjustments, patients will need to return for regular check-ups (for at least 3-5 months) to ensure the adjustment has held. Most patients average between 10 and 15 appointments with Dr. Elder to achieve long-lasting results.
If glossopharyngeal neuralgia is impacting your quality of life, get in touch today to speak with Dr. Elder about the health of your upper cervical spine. Located in Lubbock, Texas, Dr. Elder also services Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, El Paso in Texas, and Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.