Final answer:
Clinical indicators of trigeminal neuralgia include severe facial pain, trigger factors, episodic pain, and pain on one side of the face.
Step-by-step explanation:
When assessing a client with trigeminal neuralgia (tic douloureux), the nurse may expect to identify the following clinical indicators:
- Severe facial pain: Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by intense, stabbing, or electric shock-like pain in the face.
- Trigger factors: Certain actions or stimuli, such as eating, speaking, or touching the face, may trigger or worsen the pain.
- Episodic pain: The pain typically occurs in episodes that come and go, lasting from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
- Pain on one side of the face: The pain is often localized to one side of the face, following the distribution of the trigeminal nerve.