Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of blood-pricking cupping therapy on neuropathic pain in patients with acute-phase herpes zoster, and to provide a basis for standardizing integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment and nursing for this condition. Methods: From January to June 2025, 60 patients with acute herpes zoster admitted to the Dermatology Department of a tertiary grade A Chinese Medicine Hospital in Zhengzhou were selected by convenience sampling method. They were divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table method, with 30 patients in each group. The control group received conventional treatment, while the observation group was given blood-pricking cupping therapy on the basis of conventional treatment, once a day for 14 consecutive days. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, quantitative scores of symptoms and signs, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores were compared between the two groups. Additionally, the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia after rash resolution was recorded. Results: After the intervention, the VAS pain score and the quantitative score of symptoms and signs in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (both P<0.05); the PSQI score and the HADS score in the observation group were also lower than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Additionally, the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia in the observation group (6.67%) was lower than that in the control group (26.67%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Combining blood-pricking cupping therapy with conventional treatment can effectively relieve pain in the acute phase of herpes zoster, improve patients' sleep quality as well as anxiety and depression, reduce the risk of postherpetic neuralgia, and thus has important clinical application value.

Key words: herpes zoster; acute stage; blood-pricking cupping therapy; postherpetic neuralgia; pain nursing