Trigeminal Neuralgia Acupuncture Treatment
Acupuncture Relieves Facial Nerve Pain – The study focuses specifically on Liver Yang excess type trigeminal neuralgia and compares deep needling with shallow needling acupuncture techniques. Researchers used acupuncture points St7 (Xiaguan), LI4 (Hegu), LV3 (Taichong), UB2 (Zanzhu), St2 (Sibai), and Jiachengjiang (M-HN-18). Both shallow and deep needle groups received 30-minute bilateral electroacupuncture every other day. In the deep needle group, needles reached the sphenopalatine ganglion at St7 and foramina at other points. The deep needling group achieved a 93.8% effective rate. The shallow needling group recorded an 87.1% effective rate. Researchers concluded electroacupuncture relieves trigeminal neuralgia pain, with deep needling outperforming shallow needling.
A special note on acupoint St7, it is a local facial acupuncture point with special significance because it is the meeting point of the Stomach (Yangming) and Gall Bladder (Shaoyang) channels. It has specific functions for relieving pain in the ears, jaw, teeth, cheek, mouth, eyes, and general channel pain. Although located at the lower border of the zygomatic arch in the depression anterior to the condyloid process of the mandible, this point is often needled 0.5 cun anterior to its classical location for cases of trigeminal neuralgia.