5 Hallmark Symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia

A chronic pain condition that can produce excruciating facial pain, trigeminal neuralgia has several characteristic symptoms that point to the trigeminal nerve as the source. Learn about five of its hallmark symptoms here.

Sudden, sharp pain on one side of your face, lasting from a few seconds to several minutes, could be trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain disorder resulting from damage or irritation to the trigeminal nerve on that side.

The pain can be serious enough to bring your day to a sudden standstill.

Our team at Midwest Innovative Pain Management in Dyer, Indiana, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. It’s a condition that you want to recognize and treat promptly, since early intervention can prevent your pain from getting more frequent and severe.

Today, we look at five of the distinctive, hallmark symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Understanding these signs can help you make a timely call for treatment.

Sudden, electric shock-type pain

The most common and easiest symptom to recognize, pain from the trigeminal nerve is often out of proportion with whatever triggered the episode. You have two trigeminal nerves, one on each side of your face.

Despite the intense pain, TN doesn’t directly harm your body or health, but it’s severe enough that it can be both a physical and emotional issue. The pain can also have different patterns, coming in quick bursts or extended, repeated attacks that last longer.

While these hallmark symptoms can be common among sufferers, each patient’s patterns, locations, and timing may be unique.

One-sided

TN rarely happens on both sides of your face, and when it does, it’s usually one side at a time. Each trigeminal nerve has three branches, originating in the jaw, mid-face and eye/forehead.

Usually, only one branch has symptoms, but it’s possible to have any or all branches of one side affected.

Triggers

Regular everyday events can set off a trigeminal neuralgia episode. Common triggers include:

Chewing or eating
Brushing your teeth
Wind on your face
Talking
Washing your face
Shaving or putting on makeup

Light touches to your face can be painful when TN is active.

Remission

The symptoms of TN can disappear for months or even years, and then you may have a cluster of attacks that lasts for days or weeks. Rarely, you can have trigeminal neuralgia attacks with continuous aches between.

Increased activity

Over time, your TN attacks can become more frequent, more severe, or last longer. Aspects of your life become more difficult to deal with, since pain can interfere with eating and speaking, or when tending to daily living around common TN triggers.

Developing anxiety around triggers that can set off TN pain is both common and understandable. Since the attacks can be sudden, unpredictable, and very painful, TN patients can develop significant stress.

Early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment helps prevent TN from getting worse over time. Contact us at Midwest Innovative Pain Management promptly if you recognize any of these hallmark signs of trigeminal nerve irregularity. Call or click to request an appointment with us today.