Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome

What is a Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?

CRPS is simply your body having a heightened and ongoing response to a painful injury. We like to describe it as your nervous system going into overdrive. Our body is very complex and the nerves that lie superficial to the skin, if not correctly treated, can become quite hypersensitive to touch and use. Your hand can respond to an event by having a tremor, perhaps an increase in sweating or a change in colour or temperature, and a feeling of stiffness or inability to move fingers. We treat all pain differently, and CRPS is treated in a programme that is personalised to your experience and pain response.

Stiffness is a part of CRPS and may come with or without associated pain. If it comes on by itself without pain, it often happens because after an injury your fingers have swollen so much that you haven’t been able to move them. Then, within a period of a few days, your brain begins to adapt to the new stiffened movement pattern and your hand forgets how to move normally. Some muscles start becoming stronger and overpowering others, and this can sometimes become a chronic problem. We can help you regain your movement back when you have problem like this.

What symptoms does Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome cause?

• Pain
• Hypersensitivity (allodynia)
• Swelling
• Nail and hair growth changes on the affected limb
• Colour Changes in the affected limb (your arm may look purple or bluish)
• Depression & Anxiety
• Reduced movement to the affected limb

What is the treatment?

People who develop chronic regional pain syndrome are all affected very differently. We work collaboratively with the patient to offer a treatment program and solutions that fits with them and their lifestyle. Therapy will often involve a graded motor imagery program, education, swelling management strategies, desensitisation, active mobilisation exercises and collaboration with your medical practitioner regarding medication and work.

Casting to Mobilise Stiffness (CMMS), involving the application of a non-removable plaster of paris to selectively immobilse proximal joints, is sometimes utilised after collaboration with a patient, their family and medical practitioner. Kris is one of the few practitioners in Perth who is trained in the correct application of this technique. If you would like to read more about this technique please click here (link to services page about casting to mobilise stiffness)