CRPS FACTS:
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
What is CRPS? CRPS, or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, is a chronic and debilitating pain disorder that typically affects a limb following an injury. Patients with CRPS experience constant and unrelenting pain, along with various other symptoms. In many cases, the condition can also spread to other parts of the body.
Not all CRPS patients experience the exact same symptoms.
Most Common Symptoms:
- Pain: CRPS patients have reported that the pain feels burning/freezing, shooting/stabbing, and aching/throbbing. Some have said that it feels as if their blood has been replaced with gasoline and then lit on fire
- Swelling
- Inflammation
- Severe sensitivity to normal touch and temperatures. Many people with CRPS will describe that even the slightest wind or the silkiest sheets touching their affected area feel like torture. This is referred to as allodynia.
- Skin color and temperature changes – an affected body part may feel warmer or colder than it’s counter-part. The skin may look mottled; irregular and purplish.
- Muscle spasms
- Myoclonic jerks (quick, involuntary movements)
- Trouble concentrating/memory loss
- Insomnia
- Stiffness, limited, or immobility of affected area
Many CRPS Patients Also Experience:
- Chronically fatigued
- Sweating
- Depression/anxiety
- Skin lesions
- Immune system problems
- Sensitivity to sound, vibrations, aromas
- Visual disturbances
The McGill Pain Index
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is the most painful condition known to mankind.
Melzack and Torgerson developed the McGill Pain Index at the McGill Institute in 1971 as a method for assessing the quality of pain. This index is utilized by doctors and hospitals around the world and serves as an invaluable tool for evaluating chronic pain. It is recognized as a consistent, reliable, and effective instrument. The McGill Pain Index can help illustrate the severity of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) pain in comparison to more familiar medical conditions and diseases.
Standard Pain Scale vs. CRPS Pain
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