Complex regional pain syndrome

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Complex regional pain syndrome

Definition:

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain syndrome with two forms. CRPS 1 currently replaces the term "reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome". It is a chronic nerve disorder that occurs most often in the arms or legs after a minor or major injury.

CRPS 1 is associated with severe pain; changes in the nails, bone, and skin; and an increased sensitivity to touch in the affected limb. CRPS 2 replaces the term causalgia, and results from an identified injury to the nerve.

Treatment:

Treatment should be started as early as possible. This may prevent the disease from progressing. Treatment usually includes a combination of therapies, such as:

Medications -- pain medicines, steroids, blood pressure medicines that work on the sympathetic nervous system, bone loss medications (such as Actonel), and antidepressants
Physical or occupational therapy
Applications of heat and cold
The use of a TENS (trancutaneous electrical nerve stimulator) unit
Biofeedback
Nerve blocks (injecting medicine to numb the affected nerves or pain fibers around the spinal column)
Surgical sympathetomy (radical surgery that involves cutting the nerves to destroy the pain, but other sensations may be destroyed as well)

Expectations (prognosis):

The outlook is better with an early diagnosis. If the condition is recognized within the first stage, sometimes it may go into remission and normal movement will be possible with minimal changes. However, if it is not diagnosed quickly, deteriorating changes in the bone and muscle may develop rapidly and become irreversible.

Complications:

When the disease progresses, the complications include further deterioration of the affected limb, or the spread of the disease to another part of the body.

In addition, there are possible complications associated with some of the nerve and surgical treatments.

Calling your health care provider:

You should contact your health care provider if you develop constant, burning pain in an arm, leg, hand, or foot.

Review Date: 5/16/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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