Florida Hospital Best in Care - Winter 2012 - (Page 8)

Relief at Last Minimally invasive technique alleviates one man’s extreme facial pain. “Thank you for giving me back my life” are the words Charles White, PhD, wrote in a letter to Melvin Field, MD, neurosurgeon at the Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute. The 69-year-old Orlando resident wrote the letter after successful surgery to treat a debilitating condition known as Melvin Field, MD, trigeminal neuralgia. Neurosurgery Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe facial pain syndrome usually due to a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve where it emerges from the brainstem. This compression causes the wearing away of the protective coating around the nerve (the myelin sheath). The condition a ects an estimated one in 15,000 people. WHAT CAUSES IT? The condition may be part of the normal aging process (as blood vessels lengthen they can come to rest and pulsate against a nerve). These symptoms also can occur in people with multiple sclerosis, a disease caused by the deterioration of myelin throughout the body, or may be caused by damage to the myelin sheath by compression from a tumor. This deterioration causes the nerve to send abnormal signals to the brain. In some cases the cause is unknown. WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? Attacks of pain, which generally last several seconds to a few minutes, may repeat in quick succession or come HEALTHY 00tips THE ULTIMATE COOL DOWN Regular activity beneﬁts your mind, body and spirit. Today, revitalize these areas of your life by ending your workout with a few minutes of meditation or prayer. 8 For questions or to RSVP to events, call (407) 303-BEST (2378).

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida Hospital Best in Care - Winter 2012

Florida Hospital Best in Care - Winter 2012