The therapists at The Rehab Clinic at Versailles Health Care Center recently received specialized training from Accelerated Care Plus (ACP) for herpes zoster (shingles) and postherpetic neuralgia. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles is the reactivation of the virus which remains dormant in nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain. Mostly the cause of reactivation is some form of metabolic stress on the patient, but often, the cause is not identified. Around 850,000 people in the United States are affected each year by shingles.
Intervention within the first 72 hours at the wet seeping stage of shingles is important in preventing the development of postherpetic neuralgia (severe pain associated with shingles). Patients are treated with ultrasound over posterior nerve roots and around vesicles. However, if shingles is not caught within 72 hours, therapy can also assist patients with the neuralgia pain utilizing electrical stimulation for pain relief.
Versailles Health Care Center is excited to offer help for patients suffering from shingles. Please contact Rehab Director, Shannon Condon, at 937-526-0130, for more information. The Rehab Clinic at VHCC offers outpatient and inpatient therapy services to people of all ages and offers a flexible schedule.
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