Dr. Wei Lan is a Consultant Pain Physician
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a poorly understood condition where a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain.
Although most cases of CRPS are triggered by an injury, the resulting pain is much more severe and long-lasting than normal.
The pain usually only affects 1 limb, but it can sometimes spread to other parts of the body.
The skin of the affected body part can become so sensitive that a slight touch, bump or even a change in temperature can cause intense pain. Affected areas can also become swollen, stiff or undergo fluctuating changes in colour or temperature.
CRPS often gradually improves over time. But some people with CRPS experience pain for many years.
When to get medical advice
You should see a GP if you have persistent pain that's preventing you from carrying out everyday activities.
Diagnosing CRPS can be difficult because it involves having tests to rule out other possible causes.
It's best to get help as soon as possible, as early treatment may help reduce your painful symptoms.
Causes of CRPS
The cause of CRPS is unknown, but it's thought to be the result of the body reacting abnormally to an injury.
It used to be thought that CRPS was a psychosomatic condition, where the symptoms are "all in the mind", but research has disproved this.
Who's affected
It's difficult to estimate exactly how common CRPS is, as many cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed. But it's thought to be fairly uncommon.
CRPS can affect people of any age, including children. But it tends to be more common in women who are 60 to 70 years of age.
Treating CRPS
There's currently no cure for CRPS, but there are a number of treatments that can help manage the symptoms.
There are 4 main types of treatment:
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education and self-management – being given clear information about your condition and advice on any steps you can take to help manage it yourself
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physical rehabilitation – treatment to help manage your symptoms and reduce the risk of long-term physical problems, such as physiotherapy exercises
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pain relief medications– help reduce your pain, such as anticonvulsants or antidepressants
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pain relief procedures - correct procedures will provide significant pain relief and reduce recovery time
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psychological support – treatments to help you cope with the emotional impact of living with CRPS, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Because of the complex nature of CRPS, a number of different healthcare professionals will usually be involved in your care.
CRPS Forum Cork
Dr. Wei Lan is the clinical lead of CRPS Forum Cork.
The CRPS Forum has promoted awareness through education, early screening and encourages early inter disciplinary communication in order to ensure individuals at risk can recover a much as possible. The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS ) group is an Inter Hospital forum, comprising of a Multidisciplinary team (MDT) committed to identifying, understanding, measuring and reporting on early recognition of a patient, developing signs and symptoms of CRPS.
The Group aims to achieve this goal by identifying specific identifiable factors, that impact on quality of life, and will put forward strategies for programme enhancement, and policy change.
This can be achieved by;
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Establishing a referral pathway , which will revolve around Rapid access, to specific , suitable Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), clinics eg Pain clinic/OT/physio/ortho/plastic/psychology
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Developing a screening pathway referral form ,to formally identify “CRPS RISK” patients, to refer to Rapid access CRPS clinic
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The referral pathway would involve combined treatment from Allied Health professionals ;~ Physio, Occupational Therapy (OT). Plaster Technician, referring Medical /Nursing personal
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Audit and evaluation of patient referral and numbers
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Target resources eg Human , Equipment, Clinic facilitation for the intermediate to long term
period