Post Herpetic Neuralgia (persistent pain after shingles)

Post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is nerve pain that continues after a shingles rash has healed. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox, the virus stays inactive in the nerves for many years. It can later become active again as shingles, a painful, blistering rash that usually appears as a band on one side of the body or face.

The virus can damage the nerve fibers along its path. Damaged nerves may keep sending pain signals to the brain long after the skin has healed. When pain lasts three months or more after the rash, it is called post herpetic neuralgia. The risk increases with age, and PHN is most common in people over sixty. The shingles vaccine lowers the risk of both shingles and post herpetic neuralgia.

Possible signs and symptoms of post herpetic neuralgia include:

• Burning, sharp, stabbing, or deep aching pain in the area where the rash was

• Pain that lasts three months or longer after the rash has healed

• Extreme sensitivity to touch, so that even clothing or a bed sheet can be painful

• Itching or numbness in the affected area

• Pain that disrupts sleep, mood, and daily activities