Herpes zoster is an acute skin infection caused by the reactivated latent varicella-zoster virus in the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord. Recent years have witnessed an increasing incidences of herpes zoster, and neuralgia is one of its main symptoms with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) being the most common and difficult complication to control. Until now, no universally accepted definition of PHN has been made, its pathogenesis remains unknown, and its treatment is limited, which exerts serious effects on patients′ quality of life. This article reviews PHN in the respects of its definition, pathogenesis, risk factors and treatment to facilitate its timely prevention and treatment.