Post Herpetic Pain (Shingles)

Post herpetic neuralgia is pain that remains where the rash from shingles occurred after the rash has healed. Shingles is an infection of the nerves caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.

Most people in the United States get chickenpox as children. Once the chickenpox infection has cleared, the virus lies dormant inside dorsal nerve roots. Years later, if your immune system is stressed or weakened, the virus can reemerge. Instead of causing chickenpox to reoccur, it causes shingles, which produces a painful, blistering rash. If pain remains after the blisters have dried up and gone away, you have post herpetic neuralgia. The pain is due to residual stimulation to the nerves.

About one-third of the people who get shingles will get post herpetic neuralgia. The pain can last for months to years after the shingles outbreak. The older you are, the more likely you are to develop post herpetic neuralgia.

Treatment Options:

• Acupuncture
• Medications and Creams
• TENS Unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
• Interventional Therapy, such as Nerve Blocks