What is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS)?

If you fracture a bone in your leg and opt for surgery, you might be delighted to learn that your bone has healed in half the time it usually would. However, if you continue to experience pain long after the procedure, you may be dealing with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a condition that the experts at Advanced Pain Institute of Texas can help with.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that usually affects one of the limbs (arms, legs, hands, or feet) after an injury or trauma. It is also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and is believed to be caused by a malfunction in the nervous system, where the nerves continue to send pain signals to the brain even after the initial injury has healed. CRPS symptoms can include continuous and severe pain, swelling, stiffness, changes in skin color and temperature, and sensitivity to touch. It is important to seek medical help early if you suspect you may have CRPS, as early diagnosis and treatment can improve the chances of successful pain management.

Despite feeling like you have a rare condition, many patients with similar symptoms seek help from the institute every week. The disease causes patients to experience severe pain unrelated to the injury that led to it. The nervous system continues to think that there’s an ongoing issue even though the injury has healed.

The institute’s approach is to provide early detection and treatment to get patients back to feeling like themselves as quickly as possible. Patients suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome may be hypersensitive to touch, and one extremity may appear more swollen, red, or blue than the other.

Physical therapy is done to get the limb moving and regain range of motion while neuropathic pain medications help to increase comfort and decrease nervous system pain. In more severe cases, a sympathetic nerve block or spinal cord stimulator may be used.

Advanced Pain Institute of Texas specializes in pain management treatments and provides remedies for pain from head to toe. Visit apitexas.com or call 972-866-4246 to learn more.