Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare pain condition that can follow an injury as minor as a sprain. The pain doesn’t go away as it would during the normal course of an injury. It intensifies into a relentless, nerve-driven pain that spreads beyond the original site and resists conventional treatment.
At Pain Management Specialists, our board-certified providers have extensive experience in diagnosing and managing complex pain conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome. Their interventional approach means you get targeted, evidence-based care instead of a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Here’s what you need to know about how CRPS progresses and what today’s treatments can do for you.
Pain that is disproportionate to the original injury is characteristic of CRPS. The pain is driven by dysfunction in the nervous system and, in some cases, the immune system. When CRPS is diagnosed early and treated aggressively, some patients do achieve significant remission.
The condition moves through three stages, and in the first two, symptoms like burning pain, swelling, and skin changes tend to be most responsive to treatment. If it reaches stage three without adequate intervention, the changes to nerves, bones, and tissue can become permanent, making management more complex.
For those with long-standing CRPS, complete resolution may not be a realistic goal, but meaningful, lasting relief still is.
Because no single treatment works for everyone, the team at Pain Management Specialists takes a comprehensive, multimodal approach to CRPS. The condition affects far more than just the limb involved. Chronic pain at this level has a significant impact on quality of life, including sleep, mood, and productivity.
First-line treatment typically combines physical therapy and non-opioid medications to reduce pain and preserve movement in the affected limb. Counseling and pain management education are also part of the picture, since CRPS takes a serious toll on mental health and daily functioning.
For patients who don’t respond adequately to these approaches, nerve block injections can offer meaningful temporary relief, providing a window for physical therapy to be more effective.
For patients with lower extremity pain that persists despite first-line therapies, there’s a more advanced option: dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation. Our team specializes in this cutting-edge form of neuromodulation, which works by interrupting the way pain signals travel from the nerves to the brain.
DRG stimulation uses the Proclaim™ DRG Neurostimulator System, a small implanted device that you control with a remote. Unlike spinal cord stimulation, DRG stimulation targets the specific nerve clusters responsible for pain in the affected limb, which makes it particularly well-suited for the localized nature of CRPS.
Clinical evidence supports DRG stimulation as an effective option for managing CRPS and other complex pain conditions, with many patients experiencing significant and sustained reductions in pain and improvements in quality of life.
CRPS is unpredictable, but your care doesn’t have to be. At Pain Management Specialists, we take the time to understand the full scope of your pain, create a plan tailored to your situation, and adjust it as your needs evolve.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been managing CRPS for years, it’s worth exploring what today’s treatment options can offer. Call our Rockville or Frederick, Maryland, office today or book an appointment online to get started.
