To observe the curative effect of water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) combined with acupuncture in the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods: Ninety-six patients with PHN who met the recruitment criteria were randomly divided into three groups. The acupuncture group consisted of 32 patients with PHN and was treated by conventional acupoint acupuncture and surrounded acupuncture. The wIRA group consisted of 31 patients with PHN and was treated by only wIRA. The combination group consisted of 33 patients with PHN and was treated by conventional acupoint acupuncture and surrounded acupuncture combined with wIRA. Evaluations before and after treatment in the 3 groups were obtained by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: The 3 groups of patients all showed a decrease in VAS and PSQI scores after treatment (P<0.05); furthermore, the combination group showed a larger decrease than the other 2 groups (P<0.05). The scores of PSQI and those of 6 other factors (excluding the“sleep medication”factor) after treatment were lower than those before treatment in all 3 groups (P<0.05), with scores in the combination group being lower than those of the other 2 groups (P<0.05). The combination group showed a higher overall effectiveness rate than the other 2 groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Combining wIRA with conventional acupoint acupuncture and surrounded acupuncture for the treatment of PHN is more effective than using either method alone.