By Heather Auxier, APRN-CNP
Certified Nurse Practitioner, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic neurological condition that causes severe pain in a limb. The pain is disproportionate to the injury or trauma that caused it. This affects roughly 200,000 people in the United States. 

CRPS is believed to be caused by malfunctioning of the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS). Your peripheral nervous system relays information from your brain and spinal cord to your organs, arms, legs, fingers, and toes. The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The abnormal functioning results in an overreaction to pain signals that your body can’t turn off. 

The main symptom of CRPS is prolonged and excessive pain. Other symptoms include the following:

• Burning pain
• Stiff joints or inability to move a joint normally 
• Changes in skin color and texture
• Changes in skin temperature to affected limb 
• Swelling in the affected limb 
• Rapid or no hair and nail growth

The symptoms of chronic regional pain syndrome can greatly affect a person. They can cause lack of use to the affected limb, sleep disturbances, impaired activities of daily living, and can wreak havoc on a person’s mental health. 

Several treatment options are available, with the main goal of decreasing pain and symptoms while restoring function to the affected limb. Treatment includes, but is not limited to, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, medications, spinal cord stimulation, sympathetic nerve blocks, and psychosocial and behavioral therapy. 

Anyone who is suffering from chronic Complex Regional Pain Syndrome should consider asking for a referral to a pain management specialist to discuss their treatment options.