Post-herpetic neuralgia is a lasting pain in the areas of your skin where you had shingles. Around one in five people with shingles will get post-herpetic neuralgia. People age 50 and over are particularly at risk. Many people with post-herpetic neuralgia make a full recovery within a year but symptoms occasionally last for several years or may be permanent.

In post-herpetic neuralgia, the virus causes inflammation of the nerves under the skin of the affected area. Neuralgia is a medical term for pain resulting from nerve inflammation or damage. It's not clear why some people with shingles develop post-herpetic neuralgia, but increasing age, pain during the early stage of shingles and severe pain throughout an episode of shingles are all associated with an increased risk of the condition.