Pain out of all proportion to the injury, in a limb that has changed colour, temperature or texture. It is real, it is treatable, and it is treated best early.
What it is
CRPS — still widely called RSD — develops after an injury, sometimes a minor one. The sympathetic nervous system and the pain pathways become locked into a self-sustaining loop.
It is diagnosed clinically. There is no single test that confirms it, which is part of why patients are so often disbelieved before they reach a pain specialist.
How it usually presents
- Burning pain far greater than the original injury warranted.
- Skin colour change — red, purple or mottled — and temperature difference between limbs.
- Swelling, sweating change, and altered hair or nail growth.
- Extreme sensitivity, where light touch or a bedsheet is painful.
- Stiffness and loss of use of the limb.
How we treat it
- Early treatment matters more here than in almost any other pain condition. Delay makes it harder.
- Stellate ganglion block for the arm, or lumbar sympathetic block for the leg.
- Intensive physical therapy — the blocks exist to make movement possible.
- Nerve pain medication, and ketamine in selected cases.
To be assessed, call (314) 310-5577 or request an appointment. If this began with a crash or a fall, see accident and injury care.
Common questions
Is CRPS permanent?
Not necessarily, particularly when treated early. Outcomes are considerably better when it is recognised in the first months.
Why do people keep telling me it is in my head?
Because there is no blood test and the presentation is dramatic. It is a recognised condition with objective signs, and being told otherwise is a failure of diagnosis, not of your account.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
You do not need a lawyer, a police report or a referral to be seen. Bring your symptoms and we will work out the rest.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Same-day appointments are often available for new accident and injury patients.