Complex regional pain syndrome
Severe, disproportionate pain in a limb, often with swelling and skin changes.
About this condition
Complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, is severe pain in a limb that is far out of proportion to any injury that started it. It usually follows a fracture, sprain or operation. Alongside the pain there are changes in the affected limb: swelling, altered colour and temperature, sweating, changes in hair and nail growth, and skin so sensitive that light touch is unbearable.
CRPS is uncommon, poorly understood and among the most difficult pain conditions to treat. Early rehabilitation matters, because loss of use worsens the condition. Care is usually led by a specialist pain service and combines physiotherapy, desensitisation, psychological support and nerve pain medicines, with results that vary greatly between people.
Treatments people usually try first
These are the treatments commonly offered in the UK for this condition. A specialist doctor will want to know which of them you have tried, and what happened.
- Early physiotherapy, desensitisation and mirror therapy
- Nerve pain medicines such as gabapentin, pregabalin or amitriptyline
- Sympathetic nerve blocks or regional anaesthetic techniques
- Psychological therapy and specialist pain management programmes
- Bisphosphonates in selected early cases
- Spinal cord stimulation in severe treatment resistant cases
Could medical cannabis be appropriate?
People with this condition sometimes ask whether medical cannabis could be appropriate for them. That is a question for a specialist doctor, who will look at your diagnosis, your history and everything you have already tried before saying anything either way.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed prescription only medicine in the UK. It is considered only where a diagnosed condition has not responded adequately to conventional treatment, and it is never a first step. We cannot tell you in advance what might be prescribed, and UK law does not allow us to describe or advertise any medicine on this website.
What we can do is assess you properly and be honest with you. If a specialist doctor does not think this route is right for you, they will say so, and they will explain why.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Questions about complex regional pain syndrome
Chronic pain
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