Health Topics A-Z

What Are the Symptoms?

Neuralgia — or nerve pain — comes in many different forms: It may be sudden, shooting, sharp, burning, or stabbing, and is sometimes accompanied by a background sensation of burning, itching, or aching, or by hypersensitivity to touch. It occurs in one part of your body, typically on one side. Postherpetic neuralgia follows the area that was affected by the shingles along the distribution of the specific nerve. The pain may be come and go or be continuous. It can last for days, weeks, or longer.

Call Your Doctor If:

You suspect that the pain is caused by a spinal problem, a herniated disk, or a pinched nerve.

• You experience pain that is particularly severe or lasts longer than one week.  This may develop into a postherpetic neuralgia and early treatment may help reduce severity and duration of the pain.
• Facial neuralgia spreads to an eye after a herpes attack; this could lead to blindness if untreated.
• The pain becomes too great to bear; nerve damage could result.