CRPS is a complex disorder that typically affects one of the extremities. It leads to intense pain that doesn't correlate with the severity of an injury or after surgery. The symptoms include extreme pain and neurologic symptoms that are tricky to manage.
At Delmarva Pain and Spine Center, Dr. Schachi Patel provides pain management treatments for conditions like CRPS, sciatica, and neuropathy. She's an experienced anesthesiologist who offers various treatments to ease chronic pain, including dorsal root ganglion stimulation for CRPS.
Chronic regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, is a chronic pain condition that affects the arms and legs. It often occurs after an injury or surgery, although some start without an apparent trigger.
The most prevalent symptom of CRPS is severe pain that doesn't track with the injury, meaning a minor injury can trigger significant chronic pain. Other signs and symptoms include the following:
There are two types of CRPS: type one and type two. Type one CRPS occurs after an injury that doesn't involve nerve damage, while type two occurs with a nerve injury, typically from a significant traumatic injury.
Diagnosing CRPS is tough because it differs from person to person and doesn't always have an apparent trigger or cause. We evaluate symptoms and a physical exam to begin determining if CRPS is the cause of your pain.
CRPS is a challenging condition to treat because it's very complex. The main issue is that it affects every person differently, making a widespread treatment plan unrealistic.
There are many components to CRPS, including psychosocial factors and nervous system involvement. Other reasons it's a tricky disease to manage include:
Getting to the root of the problem is a surefire way to develop an effective treatment plan—but with CRPS, that's not easy. CRPS causes problems in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause of chronic pain.
Without a known cause, it's tricky to formulate a treatment plan that works on the mechanism of your pain.
CRPS also has a psychological component that varies among patients. Some patients have anxiety or fear of moving the affected extremity, which significantly influences how they perceive pain.
There isn't one specific treatment that works for every patient with CRPS, which only makes finding something that works harder. People experience very different symptoms and severity of the condition, which requires an individualized approach for each person.
Sometimes, more than one treatment is necessary for long-term relief. Finding what works best for your needs may require trial and error.
It's tough to diagnose someone's pain who has CRPS accurately. The symptoms can be multisensory and hard to measure, which makes treatment even more challenging when the pain constantly changes.
Unfortunately, there isn't one single treatment plan that works for every patient with CRPS. Treatment is challenging because it requires individualized care and attention. What works for one patient may not affect another.
The good news is that Dr. Patel offers various successful treatments for CRPS. One of the most successful is dorsal root ganglion stimulation. She discusses whether this is an option for controlling chronic pain.
To learn more about our CRPS treatments, call our Newark, Delaware, office to schedule an appointment or request a consultation with Dr. Patel on our website.
