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Horrible Pulsation At The Right Temple, Radiates To Right Teeth, Jaw. Could It Be Migraine ?
Posted on
Thu, 31 May 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 31 May 2012
Answered on
Thu, 12 Jul 2012
Last reviewed on
Question : For the last hour or 2 I've had a horrihble pulsating at the right temple. It comes and goes. Then there is pain radiating into right teeth/jaw. Could is be just a migraine...or something to worry about.
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
From your symptoms four important possibilities which need to be evaluated:
1) The first possibility is of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. TMJ pain disorders usually occur because of unbalanced activity, spasm, or overuse of the jaw muscles. This causes inflammation of the jaw joint and hence severe pain which may radiate to the ears and temples as well.
2) The second possibility is of temporal arteritis. Temporal arteritis is an inflammation of vasculitis of blood vessels of the large and medium arteries of the head especially the temporal artery tat branch off from the carotid artery in the neck.
3) The third possibility is of migraine headache.
4) Last possibility is of last molar teeth pain.
Diagnosis is confirmed by x-rays or CT of the joint. You can apply warm compresses to the joint and take anti inflammatory pain killer drugs after consulting your doctor. A physical therapist can also be approached as craniosacral therapy to relax the muscles and fascia of the jaw is very helpful in relieving the pain.
Hope this answers your query.
If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Thanks for posting your query.
From your symptoms four important possibilities which need to be evaluated:
1) The first possibility is of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. TMJ pain disorders usually occur because of unbalanced activity, spasm, or overuse of the jaw muscles. This causes inflammation of the jaw joint and hence severe pain which may radiate to the ears and temples as well.
2) The second possibility is of temporal arteritis. Temporal arteritis is an inflammation of vasculitis of blood vessels of the large and medium arteries of the head especially the temporal artery tat branch off from the carotid artery in the neck.
3) The third possibility is of migraine headache.
4) Last possibility is of last molar teeth pain.
Diagnosis is confirmed by x-rays or CT of the joint. You can apply warm compresses to the joint and take anti inflammatory pain killer drugs after consulting your doctor. A physical therapist can also be approached as craniosacral therapy to relax the muscles and fascia of the jaw is very helpful in relieving the pain.
Hope this answers your query.
If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I have a cavernous angioma on the right side - it has not changed in the past 3 years or so - any chance that this temporal pain can be related to a bleed?
Today the left side of my face has some numbness. I get migraines, but this feels different. I know that migraines have many different forms, but only once before did I have this temporal pain...not sure if it was a migraine at that time or not.
I had an MRI in March - can Temporal arteritis come one quickly like this - or might that have shown up on the March MRI?
Finally - I had a chiropractic adjustment yesterday - any chance this might have been nerve related - like my neck adjustment landed me on a nerve?
Today the left side of my face has some numbness. I get migraines, but this feels different. I know that migraines have many different forms, but only once before did I have this temporal pain...not sure if it was a migraine at that time or not.
I had an MRI in March - can Temporal arteritis come one quickly like this - or might that have shown up on the March MRI?
Finally - I had a chiropractic adjustment yesterday - any chance this might have been nerve related - like my neck adjustment landed me on a nerve?
Hello,
Thanks for writing back to me with the additional information.
It looks unlikely to be related to the rupture of the cavernous angioma. However there is a possibility that it may be pressing on one of the nerves causing the neurological pain.
At your age, the temporal arteritis is comparatively less. It is more common in people who are above 60 years of age. However if it is a new development then it may not have been picked up by the March MRI. For temporal arteritis get an ESR done. It is usually very high in this.
It is difficult to predict whether the chiropractic adjustment and the pain are interrelated. It looks like a neurological pain because of compression of a nerve. You may find relied with drugs like pregabalin or gabapentin may help for which you should consult a neurologist.
Hope this answers your query.
If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Thanks for writing back to me with the additional information.
It looks unlikely to be related to the rupture of the cavernous angioma. However there is a possibility that it may be pressing on one of the nerves causing the neurological pain.
At your age, the temporal arteritis is comparatively less. It is more common in people who are above 60 years of age. However if it is a new development then it may not have been picked up by the March MRI. For temporal arteritis get an ESR done. It is usually very high in this.
It is difficult to predict whether the chiropractic adjustment and the pain are interrelated. It looks like a neurological pain because of compression of a nerve. You may find relied with drugs like pregabalin or gabapentin may help for which you should consult a neurologist.
Hope this answers your query.
If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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