If you suffered an attack of shingles and have residual pain, the medical terminology for your condition is post herpetic neuralgia, or PHN. Post herpetic neuralgia represents a complex or group of symptoms most often characterized by pain sometimes accompanied by itching.
History
Shingles is a viral attack on your nervous system. The culprit is reactivation of the herpes zoster virus that usually attacks a single spinal nerve root. Herpes zoster is the virus that causes chicken pox. It remains in your body for years in a dormant state until it is triggered into action. During its dormancy, your immune system keeps it in check. If you had chicken pox in childhood, and if you have suffered an injury, trauma, high degrees of stress or a disease that affects your immune system, you may suffer an acute attack of shingles. After the rash heals, you may be left with pain caused by inflammation of the nerves involved in the acute shingles attack.
Warning
Do not exercise if you have any open chicken pox papules on your skin during an attack of shingles. At this point in the disease, you are contagious and other individuals can catch chicken pox from you. Do not go to the gym or use any mats or equipment that may be used by others. Avoid exercise until all your skin lesions are completely healed. Ask your health care provider to determine when it is safe for you to begin exercise again.
Neuritis
Shingles can cause permanent destruction of the affected nerves close to your spine as well as the peripheral nerves of your skin. The pain and irritation that remains after an attack can be debilitating. Unfortunately, exercise cannot reduce symptoms that are a direct result of nerve damage. Neuritis is the medical term for the resultant nerve irritation and pain you are experiencing in the affected nerve.
Musculo Sketal Complications
When you are in pain, it is not unusual to guard the affected area by making unnatural movements of your muscles or joints. Guarding often results in muscle spasms and pain involving ligaments and tendons. Damage to soft tissues increases the pain you experience when you move the affected area. Exercise can be useful in helping to reduce the concomitant muscle, ligament and tendon pain, but will not reduce the actual nerve irritation or neuritis. Physical therapy and spinal manipulation can help manage secondary muscle spasms. Your doctor may recommend gentle stretches of the muscles and affected tendons and ligaments. The type of exercises you need will be based on the location of the shingles attack, your age and other health concerns.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Postherpetic Neuralgia
- Pain Clinic: Nerve Pain - Postherpetic Neuralgia
- Columbia University Medical Center: Intercostal Neuralgia
- Massage Therapy Schools: Massage Therapy for Chest Pain, Intercostal Neuralgia
- "American Family Physician"; Management of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) and Postherpetic Neuralgia; Maj. Seth John Stankus, et al.; April 15, 2000
