Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, is a rare condition that causes chronic (long-term) burning pain in one of the limbs. Symptoms are usually felt in one of the:

• arms
• legs
• hands
• feet

Types of CRPS

CRPS is usually triggered by a previous injury or trauma (damage to the body's tissue). There are two types of CRPS which have different causes:

• type one CRPS is triggered by an apparently trivial injury, where no nerve damage has occurred, such as a sprained or fractured ankle
• type two CRPS is triggered by a more serious injury, where nerve damage has occurred, such as a broken bone, an operation, or a serious infection

About 90% of all cases of CRPS are type one.

How common is CRPS?

It is difficult to estimate the exact number of people who are affected by CRPS because the condition can be difficult to diagnose. Also, as some people only experience mild symptoms, they do not report the condition to their GP.

Estimates of CRPS from across the world vary, from one 1 in 18,000 people being affected, to 1 in 4,000 people. Neuropathic pain (caused by problems with the body’s nerves) is thought to affect one or two people out of every 100 in the UK.

CRPS is more common in people who are 50 to 70 years of age, although the condition can affect people of any age, including children. Cases of CRPS are more common in women than in men.

Outlook

The symptoms of CRPS can range from mild to severe. Some people experience repeated episodes of CRPS throughout their life. In other cases, people achieve remission (a decrease) of their symptoms after a few months.

Treatment of CRPS involves a combination of physiotherapy (physical techniques, such as massage and manipulation) and medicines to relieve the pain. Treatment is usually most effective when it is started straight after a diagnosis has been made.

Chronic
Chronic usually means a condition that continues for a long time or keeps coming back.

Neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain is caused by problems with the body’s nerves, either because the nervous system is not working properly or because the nerves themselves have been damaged.

Nervous system
The brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Remission
Remission is when the symptoms of a condition are reduced (partial remission) or go away completely (complete remission).