Visitors from Dortmund, Germany are watching a demonstration treatment of a facial acupuncture, which can effectively relieve trigeminal neuralgia.

German visitors are watching the performance of a facial acupuncture treatment in our acupuncture clinic.

Tingling or pins and needles in the face and neck is likely caused by irritation of the cervical (C1-C4) nerves, Trigeminal nerve, or parts of the spinal cord, brainstem or brain responsible for the sensory component of the head and neck. It is impossible to determine the specific nerve without doing a proper neurological exam. A good chiropractor or neurologist should be able to perform the cranial/cervical nerve screening tests to determine exactly where the problem is.

Determining what the problem is with that specific nerve may be a bit more difficult. Sometimes orthopedic tests, imaging or bloodwork can identify the problem right away. Sometimes it is a matter of trial and error with therapies in order to determine a specific cause. Some of the problems that could cause tingling or pins and needles are: spinal joint dysfunction, herniated disc, vascular disorders, infections, poisoning, diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, tumors, injuries, etc.

If a specific cause is not identified, a good course of action would be to try to treat the potentially simple causes first (eg: joint dysfunction or herniation) with conservative treatments (eg: manipulation). If conservative therapy to treat the problem is not effective, or the problem gets worse, then less conservative therapies (eg: medication/surgery) for potentially more complex problems (eg: infection or MS) would be indicated.