What is Trigeminal Neuralgia? Salman Khan’s Painful Disease Explained

Salman Khan Trigeminal Neuralgia: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan recently spoke about his experience of living with trigeminal neuralgia-a rare, yet extremely painful disorder affecting the nerves-and shared details of the eight-hour-long surgery he had undertaken to treat it. In the show, Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle, Salman recounted his experience of bearing unbearable pain for nearly seven and a half years before the treatment brought him some relief.

What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
It is a chronic disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve, which carries the sensations from the face to the brain. The attacks may be spontaneous or triggered by the slightest stimulus such as eating, brushing teeth, or speaking, and cause sudden, electric shock-like pain.

Salman Khan’s Painful Experience
Salman had shared about his condition that, “When I had trigeminal neuralgia, that pain used to be… You would not want your biggest enemy to have that pain.” It was also said that he used to have an episode every four to five minutes, thus making each day an intolerable torture. “It took me about an hour and a half for my breakfast and right into dinner. For an omelette, it took me… because I couldn’t… so I forced myself (to eat).” He said that nothing worked out for him on the pain relief part, not even the strongest of painkillers. That is what finally made him go ahead with surgery.

Causes and Symptoms of TN
Causes of trigeminal neuralgia can be quite diverse, but they are known to involve the following:

Blood vessels compressing the trigeminal nerve

Age-induced nerve damage

Conditions such as multiple sclerosis or tumors

Symptoms usually consist of stabbing or burning pain affecting the face, all brought about by standard actions.

Treatment Options

Anticonvulsants are the mainstay in treatment, but in more severe cases, surgical procedures will be required to relieve pressure off the nerve, as was the case for Salman Khan.

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