Combatting Complex Regional Pain
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- As pain goes, it is one of the most mysterious: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome; CRPS for short. It may be best described as turning on a pain switch with no way to turn it off.
“It’s a transformation within the spinal cord. It’s almost like the spinal cord resets and all of a sudden it’s just a pain signal that’s sent to the brain rather than the normal sensation,” says Dr. Richard Hood, who is a pain management specialist on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.
Even a small touch is too much to bear. This pain comes on suddenly, mostly impacting an arm or leg. The extremity actually changes in appearance.
“These people develop swelling, pain, redness, sensitivity, color changes and also temperature changes compared to the other extremity,” says Dr. Hood.
Almost like the nervous system is on fire. CRPS is not well understood and easily misdiagnosed. In hindsight, it appears many of the people who get this condition suffered a recent injury.
“Some sort of trauma. Like a crush injury is the most common. But it could be as simple as a wrist fracture or an ankle fracture,” says Dr. Hood.
While there is no cure, there is hope. Pain specialists use a variety of approaches including medications, injections and physical therapy. One of the most promising treatments is literally shocking.
“We place these stimulators and right away, as soon as we turn it on, their pain goes away,” says Dr. Hood.
A spinal cord stimulator is surgically implanted underneath the skin. Patients modulate pain by delivering electricity to the spine.
“By interrupting that electrical signal with electrical impulses in the spinal cord, you can interrupt that pain pattern,” says Dr. Hood.
Using an exterior device, people manage the current - in many cases, giving them a handle on their pain.
View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/
Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
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I just got diagnosed after I broke my leg & ankle 4 months ago. I already have a severe pain condition due to a botched gallbladder removal. I actually had a trial for the spinal stimulator for that condition but it had to be removed when I got a severe respiratory infection (because I sweated through the dressing) & I ended up in hospital quarantine... wow I didn’t realise how bad the last couple of years have been until I wrote this
Fantastic news update! My pain specialist checked my foot last time I was in hospital & said I didn’t have CRPS! I’m just healing incredibly slowly because of my other conditions. I *NEVER* get good news & I wanted to share, now all I have to do is adapt to the new medication I’m getting for my other severe chronic pain condition(s)
I’ve been going through pain for years now and am only 23. Everyone looks at me like I’m crazy but I just got diagnosed with CRPS and I’m about to get a stimulator in my lower back. It has been so much work to get this far. Much love to everyone out there dealing with this.
I have CRPS. DO NOT GET THIS! DANGER!!!
I couldn’t walk for 25 years.A year ago I had the nerve that was causing the pain disconnected and walked the next day. See my video CRPS PAIN GONE AFTER 25. YEARS
I have this disease in both legs and feet and my lower back as well. I did medications alone for a long time until it was damned near impossible to find my scripts anymore. Now I have a Medtronic pain pump implanted and it delivers Dilaudid to my spinal cord 24/7 and I also have a small machine that looks like an old school beeper called a bolus. You can hold it to your skin where the pump is and give yourself a boost of medication every four hours. I also am on Morphine 30 for breakthrough 3 times daily but my doc wants to stop the orals altogether.
I couldn’t walk for 25 years. A year ago I had the nerve that was causing the pain disconnected and walked the next day. My diagnosis was CRPS. See my video CRPS PAIN GONE AFTER 25 YEARS
I had it in my leg and couldn’t walk for 25 years. A year ago the nerve that was causing all the symptoms was disconnected by a chronic pain focused peripheral nerve surgeon. The pain stopped immediately, I walked the next day, and the redness and swelling dissipated over the following six months. I take no pain meds and walk freely. See my video: CRPS PAIN GONE AFTER 25 YEARS.
Sunday Sommers I’m going to watch your testimony my husband was diagnosed with this and doesn’t sleep, limps, and is in constant pain. They are filling him with medications that cause memory loss and a very long list of side effects.
I got CRPS from a crush injury to my right foot...It was a work comp injury so I didn't get my diagnosis for 6 months I believe...I tried evey treatment they threw at me even a spinal cord stimulator that I should've never gotten.. The trial was only 3 days and they believed it was infected so removed it but said everything looks promising...I even had a revision surgery for my device.. now I have something in me that just sits there... Definitely do the full trial before being desperate enough to just say do it... my CRPS unfortunately spread to both feet, then after a knee surgery it went all the way up to the knee on both sides and after a hand surgery it spread there as well
I will never get the SCS or the new DRG because I'm very thin and have had this disease almost 15 years. Plus I've heard horror stories and good things but to me having the disease over 15 years I think neuroplasticity has changed my CNS. I wish more info and awareness are brought to this disease.
Thank you Dan for your share. I'm 72 yrs old and have had CRPS for 16 yrs. The Dr. that helped me was arrested for prescribing to many patients that were suffering. I had taken myself off of 80% of the pain medication-almost died from sepsis pneumonia and the suggestion was given to me in the hospital. However, I'm on 3 pain pills a day which is where I want to stay. He's sure I should try the SCS and I'm not having it. I have an appointment with another pain dr. that is only a few minutes from my home. I've got crushed nerves in my feet, the left much worse than the right. I've also had FMS diagnosed in 1993, so 26 yrs ago. After watching the videos on Utube of those with SCS I don't see where it helps all that much for the price you pay. I've been in the hospital 3 times in the last 3 yrs with sepsis pneumonia, a knee replacement, and a parathyroid removal. That's to much anesthesia for me. I'm on depression medication and I feel this guy is making it worse not listening to what I'm saying. I wish I could use pot but I've got an allergy to it. CBD helps with the stress. What suggestions do you after having CRPS so long? Thanks so much! I'm in California.
See my video CRPS PAIN GONE AFTER 25 YEARS
Sunday Sommers where?
Stimulator trial made me feel normal for a couple days.. got a stimulator put in... it's bullshit for some and Amazing for others. If you're super skinny you'll feel the battery and the leads made my back look Bony I got it taken out it was a terrible experiece although it's saved some
How do you manage the pain? I'm waiting for a stimulator appt. But it's workers comp so it takes awhile. I've been dealing with crps for 3 years now. It is terrible and I'm in bed most days.
A tens unit . Basically .
The Newer ones don't have a sensation to them for the most part, that's the difference