Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
What is chronic regional pain syndrome?
Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition, usually lasting longer than six months, which often affects one limb after an injury caused by damage to the central nervous system.
There are two types of CRPS: CRPS I and CRPS II. CRPS I occurs when the patient does not have a confirmed nerve injury, whereas CRPS II is diagnosed with a confirmed nerve injury.
CRPS is more common in women than men and can occur at any age, with a peak at 40 years of age.
What causes CRPS?
It is unclear why some individuals develop CRPS, however, there may be common triggers such as:
- Fractures
- Sprains/strains
- Soft tissue injury
- Limb immobilization
- Surgery
- Other minor medical procedures
How is CRPS diagnosed?
There isn't a specific test used to diagnose CRPS. Your provider will determine a diagnosis based off of different factors such as:
- Medical history
- Signs and symptoms
- Testing to rule out other diseases
- Triple phase bone scans or magnetic resonance imaging
What are treatment options for CRPS?
The most common treatment options include:
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Psychotherapy
- Medications
- Sympathetic nerve block
- Surgical sympathectomy
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Other types of neural stimulation
Finding an appropriate pain management plan
When determining an appropriate pain management plan, it is important to take the following steps.
When developing an appropriate pain management plan for chronic pain, the most critical factor is to determine the stressor and the cause of the pain. For example, if you are having back pain - where is the pain coming from? Is it related to your posture? Is it related to stress? Maybe you regularly lift heavy objects?
Once the stressor is identified, short-term interventions may be added to your pain management plan to help ease your pain, so you are comfortable enough to make adjustments to your lifestyle. Medications, injections, or surgery are some options that can help reduce inflammation. It is very important to know that opioids should not be used to treat chronic pain - they are not the answer for this type of pain.
The next step is to make lifestyle adjustments. These may include physical and occupational therapy to increase strength, daily exercise, massage therapy, chiropractic care, etc. Treatment with exercise will provide a long-term pain solution.
Inactivity leads to stiff muscles, decreased mobility, and decreased strength - all of these can worsen the symptoms of chronic pain. Gradually becoming more active will improve flexibility, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the muscles around joints.
The first step to finding an appropriate treatment plan for chronic pain is to talk with your primary care provider. If your provider finds it appropriate, referrals can be made to the Pain Clinic at Crossing Rivers Health.
Request a referral to the Pain Clinic