Of all the places in the body that can hurt, the face might seem the strangest. But for some people, that's exactly where the agony occurs, and the cause is a nerve gone haywire.

How peripheral nerves involve themselves in pain is sometimes confusing. Here's a handy way to think of the two basic patterns:

#1: The nerve is the messenger. If you have a dental abscess, a facial sunburn or a sinus infection, you can count on pain being present. Where does it come from? Special nerve endings detect the tissue-injury and generate electrical impulses. The peripheral nerves carry these impulses into the brain. The peripheral nerves didn't CAUSE the pain, they're just carrying the bad news. (Don't shoot the messenger!)

#2: The nerve itself is the mischief-maker. In some cases the nerve generates abnormal impulses on its own. The nerve is still capable of carrying normal impulses, like those informing the brain that the skin of the face is warm or cold