Defining the CRPS
What is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?
You are likely here in Beyond Pain because you or a loved one are experiencing unexplained moderate to severe pain and are trying to find the cause.
Perhaps a Google search for the symptoms led you to this page. You may have already seen one or more doctors.
A doctor may have suggested that your symptoms might be CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) or RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy), but that they don't specialize in this condition.
But you have to know first, that you may or may not have CRPS / RSD. There are a number of conditions that have severe chronic pain as a symptom, along with others that are also present in CRPS / RSD. Here you can get more information about this condition.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS or CRPS) also known as SUDEK or Algodystrophy or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
CRPS / RSD is a chronic neuroinflammatory disorder. It is classified as a rare disorder by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, up to 200,000 people experience this condition in the United States, alone, in any given year.
CRPS occurs when the nervous system and the immune system do not function well as they respond to tissue damage caused by trauma. Nerves fail, sending constant pain signals to the brain. The level of pain is measured as one of the most severe on the McGill University Pain Scale.
CRPS generally follows a musculoskeletal injury, nerve injury, surgery, or immobilization.
Persistent pain and disability associated with CRPS / RSD require coordinated, interdisciplinary, and patient-centered care to achieve pain reduction / cessation and better function.
Early diagnosis has been shown to generally be the key to better results. However, diagnosing CRPS / RSD is not a simple matter and many patients search for months or years for a definitive diagnosis.
It is important to know that research has shown that CRPS / RSD is a physical disorder. Unfortunately, it has not been unusual for medical professionals to suggest that people with CRPS / RSD exaggerate their pain for psychological reasons. Trust your body and keep looking for a diagnosis. If it's CRPS / RSD, the pain is not on your mind!