What is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) ?
The name tells you that this condition is a complicated one.
There is severe pain in a body area – usually a limb – along with other symptoms. The usual initiating events are injury to an area followed by prolonged immobilisation. Early physiotherapy to get the joints and muscles of the injured area moving greatly decreases the chance of CRPS developing, and can reverse it when it is developing.
The pain may be constant and neuropathic in nature with “burning,” “pins and needles” and squeezing sensations. There is often greatly increased sensitivity in the affected area, known as allodynia, and people avoid any touching of it. This is counter-productive as touching and moving of the body part are required to reverse the condition.
People with CRPS also experience changes in temperature and colour of the affected limb. There may be swelling of the affected limb.
Other common features of CRPS include:
- changes in skin texture; it may appear shiny and thin
- abnormal sweating pattern in the affected area
- changes in nail and hair growth patterns
- stiffness in affected joints
- problems in muscle movement patterns
- loss of bone density
People with severe CRPS may avoid looking at the affected limb, and they may feel that it is no longer part of them.