Can you get shingles behind the knees?
A shingles rash is usually seen on one side of the torso, rib area, or face; it is rarely found on the knees, elbows, or scalp.
What can be mistaken for shingles?
Shingles can sometimes be mistaken for another skin conditions, such as hives, psoriasis, or eczema. Share on Pinterest A doctor should always be consulted if shingles is suspected. The characteristics of a rash may help doctors identify the cause.
What do beginning stages of shingles look like?
Shingles is characterized by pain or a tingling sensation in a limited area on one side of the face or torso, followed by a red rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Shingles symptoms usually affect only a small section on one side of your body. These symptoms may include: Pain, burning or tingling.
How do I know if I have shingles or just a rash?
Signs & Symptoms
Shingles is a painful rash that develops on one side of the face or body. The rash consists of blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and fully clears up within 2 to 4 weeks. Before the rash appears, people often have pain, itching, or tingling in the area where it will develop.
What do leg shingles look like?
This rash consists of fluid-filled blisters that worsen quickly. The blisters may look like chickenpox, but they are clustered together. The shingles rash can vary in color, depending on your skin tone. On darker skin, the rash may be pink, grayish, dark brown, or even purple.
What rash looks like shingles but isn t?
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that is easy to confuse with the shingles rash. As with the shingles virus, psoriasis forms red patches on the skin, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
What does shingles on the leg look like?
After a few days or even up to a couple of weeks, the telltale shingles rash will appear. This rash consists of fluid-filled blisters that worsen quickly. The blisters may look like chickenpox, but they are clustered together. The shingles rash can vary in color, depending on your skin tone.
Will shingles go away if left untreated?
Shingles, or herpes zoster, usually clears up in 2 to 4 weeks. However, as the infection can spread to other organs, it may lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications if left untreated.
Can shingles start on your leg?
If you have a collection of blisters or rashes on your skin, it’s a sign of shingles. While shingles often appear as a band on your torso (one side), you can face an outbreak anywhere on the body, and your groin and leg are no exception.
Can I spread shingles on myself?
You can’t catch shingles, and you can’t give shingles to someone else. But you can give others chickenpox. After you have chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus stays dormant in your body. If this virus reactivates, shingles occurs.
Can you get shingles on the back of leg?
Shingles are caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Outbreaks of shingles often follow the distribution of nerves in the skin. This distribution pattern is called a dermatome (see the dermatomes picture). Shingles occurs more commonly on the chest and back, but can involve the arms and legs.
Can shingles appear on the legs?
What causes shingles on leg?
Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is a disease that triggers a painful skin rash. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus. After you recover from chickenpox (usually as a child), the virus continues to live in some of your nerve cells.
How long do you feel unwell with shingles?
How long does shingles last? Most cases of shingles last three to five weeks. The first sign is often burning or tingling pain; sometimes it includes numbness or itching on one side of the body.
Should you rest with shingles?
Rest is critical when you have shingles. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the right self-care, which includes plenty of rest, can ease discomfort. This is especially true if you develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is ongoing pain after a shingles rash goes away, according to the NIA .
Should I go to the ER for shingles?
If for any reason, your doctor is out of office, or the person that sees you does not take this seriously, then you need to go to an emergency room. Most people who have shingles unless they’re very young or it’s a very mild rash should be treated with these medications to lessen their risk of PHN.
Should I stay home if I have shingles?
Should someone with shingles stay home from work or school? In general, as long as the lesion can be covered, a person with shingles does not need to stay home from work or school. Health care workers and others working with high-risk individuals should remain home from work until the blisters have scabbed over.
When does shingles reach its peak?
Typically, the peak pain of shingles is felt within 4 or 5 days after the first symptoms develop, and it comes along with a blistering rash. As the blisters scab over, the pain usually starts to disappear. In some cases, the pain does not go away. This is known as a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.
Can I take a warm shower with shingles?
Hot water increases blood flow, which can worsen shingles; therefore, a hot shower should be avoided. Towels should be immediately washed to avoid spreading the virus.
Where is the most painful place to get shingles?
The most common place for shingles to occur is in a band around one side of the waistline. Most people with shingles have one or more of the following symptoms: Fluid-filled blisters. Burning, shooting pain.
Can shingles appear on legs?
While a shingles outbreak usually appears as a band across one side of your torso, it can appear anywhere on your body, including your leg and groin.