Facial pain

Service detail

The Walton Centre has established a multidisciplinary facial pain clinic for those patients with difficult-to-treat pain in the face.

Each patient is seen in a joint clinic held by four specialists (a neurosurgeon, a pain physician, an oral surgeon and a neurologist). Consultations can be arranged with a maxillofacial surgeon or a headache specialist if needed.

The aim is to establish the cause of the pain, as accurately as possible. MRI scans and other investigations are used to see if an operation can be done to give longstanding pain relief.

Most treatment for facial pain is based on the use of specific medications. Different facial pains require different medications, so establishing the correct diagnosis is vital. Making a diagnosis in these difficult cases is often possible in the multidisciplinary clinic where expertise from several specialists is combined. 

Some patients may be suitable for research studies where new nerve stimulation methods are trialled for facial pain that has not responded to other treatments.