By Christine Clark


Pain can often be minor or debilitating depending on the reason and area effected. In the later, complex regional pain syndrome awareness can often be the difference between a quick recovery and prolonged discomfort. As such, if experiencing symptoms of what is also known as CRPS, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible.

CRPS can effect one limb then spread throughout the entire body. Whereas, thirty five percent of affected individuals often report symptoms throughout the body. There are multiple names for the disease and two subtypes. One, originally referred to as sympathetic dystrophy, often occurs after an injury or illness with no evidence of nerve damage in the effected area. Whereas, the second type, sometimes known as causalgia, presents with distinct evidence of nerve injury.

The condition is uncommon and the cause is not clearly understood. Whereas, treatment is most effective when started as early as possible. In most cases, remission and improvement are possible though there can also be more severe cases in which damage to the nerves may be permanent. For, the condition generally appears following a serious injury, heart attack or stroke, in which the pain is out proportion to the prior event.

Most medical professionals propose that alteration and inflammation perceived in the central nervous system play integral roles in the development of pain. While, it has also been suggested that ongoing pain and the perception of stimuli can be caused by peripheral nerves, neuropeptides and inflammatory molecules being released from nerves in the area. It is believed this release is most likely caused by inappropriate communication between motor and sensory fibers in the effected area.

Current treatment plans vary but most all include some aspect of nerve modulation, counseling and medication. For, regardless of the event which caused the condition, single treatments have often been unsatisfactory, especially in cases in which treatment was delayed. Whereas, there are also times when an individual has been able to treat the condition with massage, heat and ice but only in the case of minimal swelling and pain.

Symptoms can be different for each individual though most present as inflammation first, followed by long periods of extreme pain. The symptoms and signs of CRPS generally manifest closest to the site of an illness or injury. Whereas, the most common symptoms are intense burning, stabbing, grinding and throbbing. In almost all cases, the severity of pain associated with CRPS is out of proportion to that of the original event responsible for the development of the condition.

Both aspects of the condition, causalgia and sympathetic dystrophy are considered autonomic dysfunctions which often present with cyanosis and changes in temperature, or edema. If this is the case, individuals may also experience localized swelling and a sensitivity to things which are normally non-painful such as wind, water, noise, vibration and touch.

Previously, CRPS was thought to have three stages. While this is he case, it is now believed that people effected by the condition do not progress through stages on a continual basis. As such, the stages may not be constrained by time and could potentially be related to events such as falls, re-injury or damage to the body and nerves.




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