Shingles Dermatome of the Trunk
The sensory nerves of your skin originate in your spine. Where these nerves connect to your spine are nodes called ganglion or nerve roots. It is in these ganglion or nerve roots that the Varicella Zoster Virus which causes chicken pox live, after the chicken pox has resolved.
The chart below illustrates shingles dermatome of the trunk representing the possible pattern of distribution of shingles disease.
Should you develop postherpetic neuralgia pain (often referred to as PHN) of the trunk, I recommend not only treating the area of your skin where the pain is, but extending the treatment back along the nerves to the spine where the sensory nerve originates.
Here’s why…
For many people, treating the origin of the involved nerves improves the effectiveness of PainBreak® which comes highly recommended for post herpetic neuralgia treatment.
You see, often the pain of Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) is caused by a chronic, low grade infection present in your nerves.
For years the viruses lay dormant in the nerve roots in te base of the skull, they then moved down the nerve, causing your attack of shingles. Therefore, treating the nerve root (i.e. where the nerve connects with the base of the brain) is really treating the low grade infection at its source.
The dermatome map below, gives you a graphic illustration of how your sensory nerves connect to your spine, and helps you understand exactly where you should apply the PainBreak® in your postherpetic neuralgia treatment.
DERMATOMES
Follow these 4 simple steps:
- Look at the dermatome map and pencil in the approximate location of your pain.
- Follow the nerves back to the spine, and mark on the map where the affected nerves originate from the spine.
- Try to locate the area on your spine that corresponds with the location you marked on the map in step 2 above.
- Massage PainBreak® into that area 2 to 4 times daily, when you massage your area of pain. For best results, apply a warm Compress to the affected area for 15 minutes before applying the PainBreak® as this promotes better absorption and makes the treatment more effective.
