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But What Exactly Is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Excessive and prolonged pain and inflammation following an injury to an arm or leg can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Acute (recent, short-term) and chronic (lasting more than six months) versions of CRPS exist. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and causalgia were previously used to describe CRPS. People with CRPS experience a variety of spontaneous pain or excessive pain that is considerably worse than normal in response to anything as simple as a touch. Changes in skin color, warmth, and/or edema on the arm or leg below the injury site are some of the other symptoms. Although most people’s CRPS improves over time and eventually goes away, the uncommon severe or chronic episodes are extremely disabling. There are many pain clinics in Georgia that offer rehabilitation therapy for CRPS. Types Type I CRPS and type II CRPS are the two types of CRPS. There are no nerve damage or lesions found in CRPS type- Type I CRPS is also known as “reflex sympathetic dystrophy,” and it accounts for roughly 90% of all CRPS cases.
- On the other hand, CRPS type II (causalgia) occurs when there is evidence of nerve injury.
Neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain is a type of chronic pain caused by tissue damage. It’s a complicated condition that affects persons who have been in an accident that harmed their nerve fibers. Nerves might be fully defective or have little damage. Nerve fibers deliver incorrect messages to the brain in the latter situation, resulting in acute pain. Nerve function is frequently changed and aberrant at the site of damage and in the surrounding area. Professional pain clinics in Georgia focus on finding out the root cause of the pain.What Are the Causes?
There are a variety of factors that can cause nerves to send out incorrect signals. It could be a missing limb, but it could also be the result of another chronic illness that affects nerve functions.Excessive or persistent pain following use or contact.
Allodynia is a condition in which a person experiences enhanced sensitivity in the affected area, making mild touch, normal physical contact, and extreme pain. Hyperalgesia occurs when a minimally painful stimuli, such as a pin prick, causes significant or protracted pain.Unprovoked pain that occurs spontaneously and can be persistent or fluctuate with activities.
Some people describe the sensation as “burning” or “pins and needles,” or as though the affected limb is being crushed. Even if the original affected area was tiny, if nerves remain chronically irritated, discomfort might extend to include most or all of the arm or leg over time. Pain and other symptoms may appear in a same spot in the opposite leg in rare cases. This “mirror pain” is the result of subsequent spinal cord neuron involvement (nerve cells). As the wounded nerves heal, mirror discomfort becomes less acute and eventually disappears.Changes in the affected limb’s skin warmth, color, or puffiness.
You can feel warmer or cooler sensations in the wounded arm or leg compared to the opposite limb. The skin on the affected limb may become blotchy, blue, purple, gray, pale, or red in color. These skin symptoms usually change over time, indicating a problem with blood flow in the area. The damaged C-nerve fibers control the opening and closing of small blood arteries beneath the skin.How Can My Doctor Diagnose It
Although there is no specific test for CRPS, various tests are there to rule out other illnesses. Changes in the bone and blood circulation can be detected using triple-phase bone scans. To evaluate whether there is pain in a specific place, certain health care workers may use a stimulus (such as heat, touch, or cold). Early on in the course of the condition, when symptoms are limited or mild, a definitive diagnosis of CRPS may be challenging. CRPS is diagnosed primarily by looking for the following signs and symptoms:- A higher-than-expected amount of discomfort following an injury
- No other reason of pain or altered appearance
- A change in appearance of an affected location
