Acute shingles pain: New treatment strategy

The article was written by Doctor Bui Hanh Tam - Department of Anesthesiology and Anesthesia - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

Lesions of the acute stage of shingles since the first symptom is itching then burning pain, blisters, broken blisters followed by scarring. This phase is about 1 week to 10 days.

Symptoms of acute shingles pain, if present at this stage, are called acute shingles pain.
Assessment of acute pain based on pain scale. With a pain scale based on facial expressions or pain intensity on a scale of 0-10. The specialist doctor will examine and evaluate the pain level, evaluated by a scale.
With mild pain and moderate pain (<6), the pain treatment is with oral drugs according to the regimen: Painkillers of the paracetamol group or anti-inflammatory pain relievers. About 60% of patients respond well to oral medications. For the remaining few, patients who do not respond to pain relief with oral drugs, the pain specialist will use an interventional procedure, which is injection, to provide combined treatment.

Nerve blockade is an injection technique to numb the nerves that supply the pain area.
Under the guidance of the ultrasound machine, the pain specialist can pinpoint the nerve that is being attacked by the Herpes virus.
During the acute phase of shingles (10 days), the nerve is inflamed due to the virus, causing continuous nerve transmissions day and night, causing pain (aching, burning, electric shock ...) make the patient suffer. Nerve blockade helps to block nerve signals causing acute pain, preventing transmission through the sympathetic ganglia in the dorsal horns of the spinal cord before being transmitted to the cerebral cortex and receiving pain.
So the patient will get immediate pain relief after the injection. The nerve block procedure is performed the same day and the patient can go home to rest. This should be done 2-3 times depending on the severity of the acute viral damage to the nerve and the response of each patient to the interval between 2 to 4 days.
Preventing and limiting the risk of chronic pain of nerve causes can be done right in the acute phase of shingles infection thanks to the method of selective nerve blockade by injection of anesthetic.
In addition to pain control with the above methods, treatment with specific antiviral drugs and anti-inflammatory-edema drugs, and hygiene care for skin lesions help to perfect the treatment, reduce the risk of Neurological complications that cause chronic pain after shingles may appear later. Chronic pain caused by shingles is a challenge for the medical profession as well as the current health-social burden not only in Vietnam but also in developed countries around the world. Therefore, acute shingles should be treated as soon as possible.

To be provided with the best treatment for acute pain caused by shingles with the cooperation of dermatologists, neurologists, pain doctors and the support of specialized ultrasound machines for nerves, please contact the Pain clinic of Vinmec Times City hospital for the most dedicated and professional care.
Customers can go directly to Vinmec Times City to visit or contact hotline 0243 9743 556 for support.