Board-certified pain management in Long Beach, Alhambra, Riverside and City of Industry(833) 476-7377 Shingles Pain Treatment in Southern California
Shingles can leave burning, stabbing, or electric pain along a band of skin, and for some people that pain keeps going long after the rash heals. At Integrative Sports & Spine, our physicians evaluate and treat shingles pain and postherpetic neuralgia with a plan built around where your pain is, how long you have had it, and what you have already tried.
Symptoms That Require Prompt Medical Evaluation
Most shingles pain, including pain that lingers after the rash, can be evaluated at a scheduled specialist appointment. Some signs, however, need faster care from your primary care doctor, an urgent care, or an emergency department.
Seek Prompt Medical Evaluation If You Experience:
- A new rash with blisters on one side of your body. Antiviral medicine works best when it is started as soon as the rash appears, so see your primary care doctor or an urgent care right away.
- A rash on your forehead, nose, or around your eye, or any eye pain, redness, or change in vision. Shingles on the face can affect the eye and cause vision loss.
- Facial drooping, ear pain with a rash in or around the ear, hearing loss, or dizziness, which may mean the virus is affecting a facial or hearing nerve.
- A rash that spreads across large areas of the body, especially if you have a weakened immune system or take medicines that lower immunity.
- Fever, spreading redness, warmth, or pus around the rash, which may point to a skin infection.
- Confusion, severe headache, stiff neck, or new weakness in an arm or leg, which need emergency care.
If your rash has healed or is healing and the main problem is pain that has not settled, a scheduled evaluation with a pain specialist is the right next step.
Benefits of Specialized Shingles Pain Treatment
Finding the Nerve Behind the Pain
Shingles pain follows the nerve where the virus was active, usually a band around one side of the chest or back, and sometimes the face. Your physician maps where the pain sits and how it behaves, then matches treatment to that nerve rather than treating the whole area the same way.
Nerve Blocks for Shingles Pain
An intercostal nerve block places local anesthetic, sometimes with a steroid, near the nerves that run along the ribs, where shingles pain is most common. For pain in other areas, a sympathetic or other targeted nerve block may be considered. Blocks are placed under ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance.
Options When Pain Lasts for Months
Spinal cord stimulation may be considered when postherpetic neuralgia lasts for months and nerve blocks and medicines have not given enough relief. Depending on where your pain is, your physician may also discuss epidural steroid injections.
A Plan That Works With Your Other Doctors
Many patients come to us already taking medicine for nerve pain. We review what you take, what has helped, and what side effects you have had, and share our findings with your primary care doctor so your care stays coordinated.
Shingles Pain Presentations We Treat
Pain During an Active Outbreak
Burning or stabbing pain while the rash is still present can be severe enough to disrupt sleep and daily life. Treatment focuses on calming the irritated nerve while your primary care doctor manages the infection.
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Nerve pain that stays in the area of the rash after it has cleared is called postherpetic neuralgia. About 10% to 18% of people who get shingles develop it, and the risk rises with age.
Chest and Rib Pain
Shingles most often affects a band of skin around one side of the chest or upper back. Pain along the ribs may respond to intercostal nerve blocks.
Face and Head Pain
Shingles on the face or scalp can leave lasting pain along the trigeminal nerve. We evaluate facial pain carefully and coordinate with your eye doctor when the eye was involved.
Touch Sensitivity
Some patients find that clothing, bedsheets, or a light touch on the area causes sharp pain. This sensitivity is common after shingles and is part of what we assess and treat.
When Medicine Has Not Helped
If gabapentin, pregabalin, lidocaine patches, or other medicines have not helped enough or have caused side effects, we review your history and look at interventional options.
What to Expect During Your Appointment
Before Your Treatment
Preparation Guidelines
- Bring a list of your current medications and supplements, including any nerve pain medicines and blood thinners.
- Note when your rash started, where it was, and whether you took antiviral medicine.
- Describe your pain: where it is, what it feels like, and what makes it better or worse.
- Bring records from your primary care doctor, dermatologist, or eye doctor if they treated your shingles.
- Let our team know about any allergies to local anesthetics, steroids, or contrast dye.
- Wear loose clothing that gives easy access to the painful area.
Initial ConsultationYour first visit includes a detailed history and a physical exam of the affected area, including how your skin responds to touch. Your physician reviews the treatments you have already tried and explains which options fit your type of shingles pain before any procedure is planned.
During the Procedure
Nerve Block Procedure
- You are positioned comfortably so your physician can reach the treatment area.
- The skin is cleaned with an antiseptic solution, and a local anesthetic numbs the needle entry site.
- Ultrasound or fluoroscopy is used to locate the target nerve.
- Your physician guides the needle to the nerve under live imaging and confirms placement.
- The medication, a local anesthetic and sometimes a steroid, is injected around the nerve.
- You are monitored for a short time before going home the same day.
Procedure Experience
- You stay awake, and our team explains each step as it happens.
- Injections are not placed through an open or blistering rash.
- Most nerve blocks take 15 to 45 minutes, including preparation.
- Some patients notice numbness in the treated area soon after the injection.
- Plan to have someone drive you home if your physician recommends it.
After Your Treatment
Post-Procedure Recovery
- Numbness in the treated area is expected and usually wears off within a few hours.
- Mild soreness at the injection site can last a day or two.
- Avoid driving for the rest of the day if your physician advises it.
- Contact our office for fever, redness or drainage at the injection site, trouble breathing, or pain that gets much worse.
- Keep taking your other medicines unless your physician tells you otherwise.
- Relief from a nerve block can take a few days to show, so note how you feel over the first week.
Ongoing Management
- Keep a simple pain diary so your physician can see how much relief you had and for how long.
- Some patients need a series of blocks spaced over several weeks.
- Attend follow-up visits so your plan can be adjusted.
- Tell your physician about any change in where your pain is or how it feels.
- If you have not had the shingles vaccine, ask your primary care doctor whether it is right for you.
Why Choose Integrative Sports & Spine?
Physicians Focused on Nerve Pain
Shingles pain is nerve pain, and nerve pain is a core part of our practice. Our physicians evaluate the nerve involved and how your pain behaves before choosing a treatment.
Image-Guided Nerve Blocks
Nerve blocks at our clinics are placed under ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance, so your physician can see the target and confirm needle placement before injecting.
A Range of Options for Lasting Pain
From intercostal and sympathetic nerve blocks to epidural steroid injections and spinal cord stimulation, we can match the treatment to your pain instead of using one approach for everyone.
Four Southern California Clinics
Patients can be seen in Long Beach, Alhambra, Riverside, or City of Industry, and one phone number books any location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Postherpetic neuralgia is nerve pain that stays in the area where the shingles rash was, even after the rash clears. It is the most common complication of shingles, and about 10% to 18% of people who get shingles develop it.
The rash usually scabs over in 7 to 10 days and clears in 2 to 4 weeks, and the pain often fades with it. For some people, especially older adults, the pain lasts for months or longer. Pain that continues after the rash heals is worth evaluating.
Often both. Your primary care doctor or an urgent care treats the infection, usually with antiviral medicine started as soon as the rash appears. A pain specialist can help when the pain is severe or keeps going after the rash heals.
The risk of postherpetic neuralgia rises with age, and it is rare in people younger than 40. Severe pain during the outbreak and a weakened immune system may also raise the risk.
It can. Some patients have lasting relief after one or more blocks, while others need repeat treatment or a combination of approaches. Your physician will track your response and adjust your plan.
Yes. Treatment for pain during an active outbreak is possible, but it is planned around your skin and your antiviral treatment. Injections are not placed through an open or blistering rash.
The CDC recommends two doses of the Shingrix vaccine for adults 50 and older, and for adults 19 and older with a weakened immune system, to prevent shingles and its complications. Ask your primary care doctor or pharmacist whether it is right for you.
Yes, for many patients. A nerve block places medicine near the irritated nerve to calm pain signals. Intercostal nerve blocks are often used for shingles pain along the ribs. How much relief you get and how long it lasts varies from person to person.
Insurance Coverage
We accept PPO insurance, Medicare, personal injury cases, and self-pay patients. Coverage and benefits vary by plan, so our team verifies your insurance before your appointment and reviews any expected costs with you before treatment.
We Accept
• Medicare
• PPO Plans
• Personal Injury
• Self-Pay Options Available
Financial Policy• Insurance verification completed prior to appointment
• Co-payments and deductibles due at time of service
• Self-pay options available with transparent pricing
• Flexible payment plans for eligible treatments
Our Patients Love Us
Robert G.
Google review, Long Beach clinic
“The team at ISS is awesome! Everyone is so friendly and caring. During my consult with Dr Seko, he made me feel so at ease. He’s very knowledgeable, straightforward and kind. He did my first epidural today and I feel great! Best one I’ve ever had.”
Magaly C.
Google review, Long Beach clinic
“The team here is not only knowledgeable but also genuinely compassionate. They take the time to understand your needs, listen to concerns, and create a treatment plan that actually works.”
Evony G.
Google review, Long Beach clinic
“I had a great experience at Integrative Sports and Spine with Dr. Seko and the amazing staff. I was really nervous about getting my trigger point injections, but they went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable.”
Ready to Get Help for Your Shingles Pain?
Shingles pain that lasts for weeks or months can wear you down, but it can often be treated. Care should match the nerve involved, how long you have had pain, and what you have already tried. At Integrative Sports & Spine, we provide shingles pain evaluation and treatment at our Long Beach, Alhambra, Riverside, and City of Industry locations.
Call (833) 476-7377 or click the appointment button below to schedule a consultation at any of our four Southern California pain clinic locations.
Related Services
Nerve Blocks
Image-guided nerve blocks, including intercostal and sympathetic blocks, used to calm pain signals from a specific nerve.
View MoreNerve Pain Treatment
Evaluation and treatment for burning, shooting, or electric nerve pain, including postherpetic neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, and CRPS.
View MoreSpinal Cord Stimulation
An implanted device that may be considered for chronic nerve pain that has not responded to other treatments.
View MoreOpen Hours
Mon - Fri: 9:00am to 5:00pm
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