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POST HERPATIC NEURALGIA (PHN)

Post Herpatic Neuralgia is a very painful condition left after having shingles or herpes zoster. Shingles is essentially a blistering rash that generates in patients who had an attack of chickenpox in the past. The chickenpox virus remains dormant in the nerves and shingles occur when it is reactivated. Infections or stress can bring down the immune system and can cause the virus to become active. This will cause the herpes rash and pain.

The shingle blisters burst and crust over usually within a week and the area slowly heals. Pain may subside as quickly as the rash, but some people are left with pain affecting that area for many months or even years, which is known as Post Herpatic Neuralgia or PHN. The pain could become crippling.

There are effective nerve block procedures available at Penn Medical Services for Post Herpatic Neuralgia (PHN). The results are positive when the nerve blocks are performed earlier in the stage of the disease (within 6 months).