Posttraumatic herpes zoster

Musculoskeletal trauma and its sequelae account for a large proportion of visits to acute health care facilities and practitioners of multiple medical specialties. There is a long-recognized association of posttraumatic pain with herpes zoster and three illustrative cases were encountered. Simple bony, nerve root, or soft-tissue abnormality may be mimicked by various stages of such processes. Serial observations are emphasized and proposed pathophysiology and therapy reviewed. Studies of acute and convalescent complement fixation titers and viral cultures of vesicular fluid in such cases would be of further interest.