herpetic neuralgia
pain associated with shingles, caused by reactivation of the herpes varicella-zoster virus (see herpes infection). Following an attack of chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in a dorsal nerve root and ganglion of the spinal cord; when reactivated, it spreads down the sensory nerve, causing vesicle formation and severe, burning, lancinating pain. This acute pain typically resolves in 3 to 5 weeks, but patients often develop the chronic, debilitating pain known as postherpetic neuralgia.