CRPS FACTS:
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
What is CRPS? CRPS is a chronic, debilitating pain disorder that usually affects a limb after an injury. A CRPS patient will experience constant, unrelenting, pain along with a myriad of other symptoms. Many times the disease will spread to other parts of the body as well.
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 first developed The McGill Pain Index at the McGill Institute in 1971 as a way of gauging the quality of pain. This index is used by doctors and hospitals worldwide and is a valuable tool when evaluating chronic pain. It is considered to be a consistent, reliable and effective instrument.
The McGill Pain Index can show others how drastic CRPS pain is compared to more familiar medical problems and disease.