What is Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome?

Formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS), Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a form of chronic pain that causes severe pain and inflammation usually affecting an arm or leg – though it can affect other body parts.

Defined by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CRPS generally follows a traumatic injury to the arm or leg and can cause changing combinations of spontaneous pain or excess pain that is much greater than normal following something as mild as a touch.

CRPS is a neuropathic pain condition, characterized by a dysfunction in the central or peripheral nervous systems, meaning that with neuropathic pain, the pain isn’t typically triggered by an event or injury.

Instead, the body just sends pain signals to your brain unprompted.

With a pain level of 42 out of 50 on the McGill University Pain Scale, CRPS has one of the most severe levels of pain, classifying it as the most painful chronic pain condition known.

What are the Symptoms of CRPS?

CRPS symptoms vary in duration from person to person, continuous pain being the leading and most disabling symptom.

Typically, the number of symptoms reduces during recovery.

CRPS signs and symptoms may include:

• Continuous pain that gets worse over time
• Pain described as burning or throbbing in the affected limb
• spontaneous pain being constant or changing with activity
• Swelling and stiffness in affected joints
• Impaired muscle strength and movement
• Hypersensitivity to cold or touch
• Changes in skin temperature, color, and/or texture

Common Causes of Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome

In more than 90% of cases, CRPS occurs after a forceful trauma to an arm or a leg.

This can include a crushing injury or a fracture, damaging sensory nerve fibers that transmit pain, itch, and temperature sensations and control the small blood vessels and health of almost all surrounding cells.

Some of the most common situations where CRPS can occur due to a forceful nerve trauma are:

Vehicle Accidents

CRPS can develop in vehicle accidents causing leg or wrist fractures that injure nerves from a displaced or splintered bone.

If the vehicle accident is severe enough, nerve injuries can occur from deep cuts, burns, muscle sprains/ruptures, and even during emergency surgeries.

Slip and Falls

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone.

Unfortunately, a bad slip can place a lot of force into the wrist of a hand trying to reduce the fall, possibly breaking the wrist and injuring nerves from the displaced or splintered bones.

An unexpected fall from a great height can also place a forceful injury to the ankles or shin, leading to bone fractures and possible nerve injuries.

Workplace Accidents

In the workplace, there can be a multitude of workplace injury opportunities, ranging from machine-use accidents to getting struck by objects/moving machinery to any catastrophic injury.

Each accident can severely affect a limb, either spraining it or fracturing it, causing nerve injury and possibly developing CRPS.

Other Personal Injuries

Severe bike accidents can badly injure a limb, resulting in possible bone fractures and nerve traumas.

In accidents where a tight cast is placed CRPS can develop, as the pressure from a tight cast presses on nerves and restricts blood flow.

On some occasions, events that penetrate the skin (like a dog bite), can accidentally pierce a superficial sensory nerve, causing more pain than otherwise.

Almost all personal injuries can result in CRPS, so individuals who suffer from CRPS related to other injuries may still qualify for legal action.

It is best to talk to a chronic regional pain syndrome lawyer about your accident or injury to determine what next steps to take.

CRPS Diagnosis

While there’s no specific test available to diagnose CRPS, Complex regional pain syndrome can be diagnosed through careful history, physical examination, and review of symptoms.

A healthcare provider would look for a specific number of symptoms (as outlined before) to determine if there’s CRPS.

Some procedures can provide insight such as a sympathetic nervous system nerve block, bone scan, x-rays, and MRI.

If experiencing consistent, severe pain in a limb making it difficult to move it or even touch it, see a doctor immediately.

Early treatment is very important as CRPS can cause the affected limb to stiffen over time, making the pain worsen and any movement more difficult.

CRPS Treatment

Currently, there is no cure for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

The main goal of treatments is to decrease pain and other symptoms present, restoring function to the affected limb(s), and maintain or improve the quality of life.

Early treatment may limit the progress of CRPS and improve the chances of a quick recovery.

5 CRPS Treatment Methods Include:

As we mentioned, there is currently no cure for CRPS.

However, treatment can still be done to reduce pain and improve your quality of life.

The five (5) most common forms of CRPS treatment are:

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy

To maintain limb mobility and restoration of function.

Mirror Therapy

Tricks your brain into thinking you can move both limbs normally by looking at the reflection of the movement of your unaffected limb in a mirror.

Desensitization

Involves touching the affected area with materials of different textures to let the brain adjust to the different sensations and lower pain felt.

Psychotherapy

CRPS increases anxiety, depression, and stress, which can increase pain.

Psychotherapy (“talk therapy”) involves learning ways to cope with these and other factors that contribute to your pain.

Medications

There are no specific medications approved CRPS in the U.S. but there are a variety of drug classes that help relieve the pain felt.

What Should I Do if I am Suffering from CRPS?

If you are suffering from CRPS, there are steps that you can take to minimize the damages caused by your injury and to gain compensation for those injuries.

Mitigate Your Injuries

If you experience constant, severe pain that affects a limb and makes touching or moving that limb seem intolerable, see your doctor determine the cause.

It’s important to treat CRPS early. Make sure to follow their orders, do everything in your power to mitigate further injury and future economic impacts related to your injury.

Contact a Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome Lawyer

After you have gotten proper medical treatment, contact a TorHoerman Law (chronic regional pain syndrome) lawyer if your injury was caused by another party’s negligence.

TorHoerman Law offers free, no-obligation case consultations.

Get your free, instant online case evaluation from our chatbot.

Why Hire a CRPS Lawyer?

CPRS is a debilitating condition that often requires a lifetime of ongoing medical care.

Our legal team understands that CRPS can evolve and worsen over time and that the cost of treatment can be enormous.

If the injury that aided in the development of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome was due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek proper compensation for your injuries and any associated medical expenses incurred due to this painful condition.

TorHoerman Law Complex Regional Pain Syndrome lawyers are here to help you achieve just that.

Can one just handle this by themselves (through insurance), as lawyers typically cost time and money?

Should one just hope for the best with what one has?

Yes, but oftentimes the individual will receive a fraction of the compensation that they would if they had proper legal representation.

TorHoerman Law, Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome Law Firm

Trust TorHoerman Law to help ensure you achieve proper compensation for your injury and the effects CRPS has had in your life.

With a team of experienced attorneys who are considered the top attorneys in their field, we’re committed to our clients (our clients know they are getting the best legal representation possible).

At TorHoerman Law, we know that the outcome of your case is personal because after all, it will affect the rest of your life.

We have helped clients win more than $4 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements for our clients.

So, you can be sure we’ll fight hard to get you the compensation that you deserve from the negligent party.

Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis – so our clients don’t pay any legal fees unless they are awarded compensation for their injuries & other losses.

If they don’t get compensation, then all costs associated with their lawsuit fall on us.

There’s no upfront cost and no risk to you.

Have more questions?

We offer free, no-obligation consultations & instant online case evaluations for anyone who has questions related to their potential legal action.

Contact us today to learn more.