Help you get rid of postherpetic neuralgia

Shingles, commonly known as "belt of fire" in folk language, is a condition where patients develop a dense cluster of red rash and blisters, often occurring around the waist, resembling a coiled snake, hence the name. Shingles is extremely painful, and only those who have experienced it can truly understand the excruciating pain, often described as the "most intense pain in the world". When a patient's immune system is weakened, the dormant varicella-zoster virus in the body can invade the nervous system, triggering shingles.

Shingles is generally not contagious, except during the acute phase when the blisters have not crusted over, and the fluid within the blisters contains a high viral load. Individuals with weakened immune systems, such as pregnant women, children, and the elderly, may be susceptible to infection. However, in general, the likelihood of transmission by not coming into contact with the patient's skin is very low.

Shingles is a self-limiting disease, and some patients with strong immunity may recover within 2-3 weeks. Since it can resolve on its own, can it be left untreated? The answer is "no". The purpose of treating shingles is to prevent postherpetic neuralgia, so timely medical attention is necessary to provide a sufficient course of antiviral, neurotrophic, and analgesic treatments. If the pain persists and lasts for more than 3 months after the shingles have healed, it can be defined as postherpetic neuralgia. Shingles itself is not terrifying; what is terrifying is postherpetic neuralgia.

Postherpetic neuralgia typically presents as burning, electric shock-like, cutting, or stabbing pain. Over 90% of postherpetic neuralgia patients experience hyperalgesia, where even mild contact or light pressure on the skin, such as bed sheets, underwear, or gentle touch of fine hair, or even a breeze, extreme cold, or hot weather, can cause or intensify the pain.

So, is there a way to treat this dreadful postherpetic neuralgia?

Medical Treatment:

The first-line medications for treating postherpetic neuralgia include calcium channel modulators, tricyclic antidepressants, and lidocaine patches. Second-line medications include opioid drugs and tramadol.

Minimally Invasive Interventional Treatment:

Minimally invasive interventional treatment refers to the technique of placing instruments or drugs into the lesion tissue with minimal trauma under imaging guidance, and performing physical, mechanical, or chemical treatment. In clinical practice, minimally invasive interventional treatment for postherpetic neuralgia mainly includes neural intervention technology and neuroregulation technology.

Medication is the basis for pain relief, and the combined application of minimally invasive intervention and medication can effectively alleviate postherpetic neuralgia, reduce the dosage of analgesic drugs, minimize adverse reactions, and improve the patient's quality of life.

Neural Intervention Technology:

This mainly includes nerve blockade, selective nerve destruction, and intrathecal drug infusion therapy.

Neuroregulation Technology:

Neuroregulation technology involves appropriately stimulating the target nerve that produces pain through electrical pulses, feedback adjustment of the nerve's neurotransmitters or currents, or creating a numb sensation to cover the painful area, thereby achieving pain relief. Clinical neuroregulation technologies for treating postherpetic neuralgia mainly include pulsed radiofrequency therapy and nerve electrical stimulation technology.

Other Treatments:

Acupuncture and ozone therapy have shown certain effects in clinical practice. Furthermore, many postherpetic neuralgia patients also have depression or anxiety disorders, so the treatment plan needs to emphasize the combination of psychological therapy and behavioral regulation.