Question

A client comes to the clinic for evaluation of a sharp, intermittent, severe, stabbing facial pain that she describes as "like an electric shock." the pain occurs on only one side of her face. it seems to be triggered when she chews, brushes her teeth, or sometimes when she merely touches her face. often it is accompanied by involuntary grimacing. what diagnosis is most likely?

Answer 1

Trigeminal Neuralgia

This is a chronic pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve. This can be divided into typical and atypical trigeminal neuralgia. The typical form will have an episodes of severe, shock like pain on the unilateral side of the face usually lasting for seconds to few minutes. The atypical form will have a burning sensation that can be less severe. Episodes can be trriggered by touch and chewing. The cause is still unknown  but believed to be due to loss of myelin sheath in the trigeminal nerve.