Why does the right side of the tongue hurt?

The tongue is a very important organ for the human body. It can help people chew food, pronounce words, etc. However, in daily life, because people do not pay enough attention to the care of the tongue, or eat some irritating foods, etc., they may experience pain at the root of the tongue. The pain at the root of the tongue can also be divided into pain on the right side of the tongue and pain on the left side. The following is to introduce what is the pain on the right side of the tongue root.

Pain on the right side of the tongue root may be caused by glossopharyngeal neuralgia. The so-called glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a paroxysmal severe pain that occurs in the glossopharyngeal nerve branch area. In terms of the nature of the pain, it has many similarities with trigeminal neuralgia. From an anatomical perspective, the glossopharyngeal nerve is a mixed nerve that originates from the medulla oblongata and exits the skull through the jugular foramen. It is generally distributed in the tongue or pharynx. So in this sense, it is an important pain afferent nerve in the tongue and pharynx.

Causes of glossopharyngeal neuralgia

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia can be divided into two types: primary and secondary.

The so-called primary glossopharyngeal neuralgia may be caused by demyelination of the nerves, resulting in a disorder of nerve afferent impulses. The initial cause is the lesion of the glossopharyngeal nerve. This is when the glossopharyngeal nerve enters and exits the pons, which is what we often call the transition zone between the central and peripheral nerves, the desheathing zone, also known as the nerve sensitive area, lacks the wrapping of Schwann cells. This section of the glossopharyngeal nerve is in close contact with the attached blood vessels and is therefore subject to pulsatile compression from the blood vessels. Due to this pulsating compression, paroxysmal pain occurs in the glossopharyngeal nerve distribution area in the sensitive area of ​​the glossopharyngeal nerve.

Analysis of the causes of secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia shows that it is mainly caused by tumors near the cerebellopontine peduncle, as well as extracranial tumors, local aneurysms or local tuberculosis in the carotid artery, throat, tonsils and other parts, which compress the glossopharyngeal nerve. Generally speaking, the glossopharyngeal nerve will be compressed due to the excessive length of the styloid process and calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, which will cause glossopharyngeal neuralgia. At the same time, do not ignore the fact that inflammations such as inflammatory lymph nodes, peritonsillar abscess, local arachnoiditis, etc. stimulate the distribution area of ​​the glossopharyngeal nerve, which can also cause glossopharyngeal neuralgia.