Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - Hamilton Health Sciences
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
What is it?
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS is a disorder seen when
swelling, stiffness, burning pain and hypersensitivity occur in a stronger
pattern than would be expected for the injury. CRPS is sometimes called
reflex sympathetic dystrophy, or RSD.
What does CRPS feel and look like?
What you may feel is that the burning pain and painful sensations are
much greater than they should be. You may notice changes in:
? skin temperature ¨C your hands, arms or feet may feel hot or cold
? your skin ¨C which may look thin and shiny
? skin colour ¨C your hands, arms or feet may be blotchy, blue, or pink
You may also notice an increase in:
?
?
?
?
?
swelling
stiffness, or the stiffness may be beyond the original area of injury
sweating or no sweating
hair growth, or loss of hair
nail growth, or thick or brittle nails
With hand injuries, sometimes people will also have shoulder pain.
Over time CRPS can lead to muscle weakness and permanent
movement losses.
How do I know if I have CRPS?
Doctors will look for at least 3 of the above symptoms to be present,
and will ask about when they happened. There is no one test for CRPS.
Your doctor may order x-rays, a bone scan, and/or an EMG
(electromyogram: a nerve test) in order to see if you have CRPS
or another problem.
please turn over ?
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Why do you get CRPS?
CRPS can even happen after the original injury has healed, or without a
known trauma. We do not know why some people get CRPS and others
do not.
What can be done if I have CPRS?
Finding out if you have CPRS and being treated right away is important.
Often, when CRPS symptoms are identified and treated early, they settle
and do not increase in number or get worse.
If you have had CRPS in the past, you should discuss this with your doctor
before any surgeries, particularly if they are in the same area.
Treatment often involves 2 areas:
? Therapy: Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists can help
you with exercise programs to maintain the movement of stiff joints,
manage swelling, and continue in your daily activities at home
and work.
? Pain Management: You and your doctor will figure out what pain
medication may help. Your doctor may also refer you to a pain
management specialist. This specialist may suggest nerve blocks to
help control the pain and allow you to work hard in therapy.
We are here to help
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome can be a painful and frustrating
problem for both patients and health care providers, but early identification
and treatment gives the best results.
If you have CRPS you may get depressed, feel irritable; it can be hard
to manage day-to-day stresses. Please talk with us if you have any of
these feelings, we are here to help you.
Websites
health/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/DS00265
(tupe CRPS into the search box)
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This information was compiled by the Hamilton Hand
Interest Group, 2006.
Hamilton Health Sciences, 2006
PD 5544 - 01/2016
dpc/pted/ComplexRegionalPainSyndrome-th.doc
dt/January 4, 2016
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