CRPS

If you have ongoing arm or leg pain due to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), you don’t have to live with bothersome discomfort. At Advanced Spine and Pain Clinics in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the interventional spine and pain management specialists offer an array of pain-relieving treatments to optimize your recovery and help you live your best life. Call the office to learn more, or use the online booking tab today.

What is CRPS?

CRPS stands for complex regional pain syndrome, a painful condition that often affects an arm or leg. It tends to appear after an injury, heart attack, or stroke, but early detection and treatment can reduce or eliminate worrisome discomfort. Call the Advanced Spine and Pain Clinics office at the first sign of a problem.

What are the symptoms of CRPS?

The common symptoms associated with CRPS include:

• Touch or cold sensitivity
• Throbbing, burning, or continuous discomfort
• Arm, leg, hand, or foot pain
• Swelling
• Redness
• Changes in skin color, temperature, or texture
• Joint swelling 
• Stiffness
• Changes in hair and nail growth
• Muscle weakness, tremors, tightening, or spasms
• Limited ability to move an affected body part
• Limb coldness or paleness

After such bothersome changes occur, they may be irreversible, which is why early detection and treatment are vital. Sometimes, CRPS spreads from its original source to other parts of your body.

Potential complications include tissue wasting and muscle contracture (tightening).

What causes CRPS?

While the exact cause of CRPS isn’t known, it often appears after an injury or trauma — especially trauma that affects the central and peripheral nervous systems. CRPS could also develop after an illness or injury that doesn’t affect your nerves. You might notice its symptoms after forceful trauma in your arm or leg, including fractures or a crushing injury.

Other potential risk factors include sprains, surgeries, infections, and heart attacks. Not everyone who experiences these traumas develops CRPS, and the reason some do isn’t well understood.

How is CRPS diagnosed?

The Advanced Spine and Pain Clinics team diagnoses CRPS after reviewing your medical history and symptoms. They also complete a physical exam, check your vital signs, and may recommend X-rays, an MRI, a bone scan, and sweat production tests. 

How is CRPS treated?

The standard treatments for CRPS include:

• Healthy lifestyle changes
• Medications
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Heat therapy
• Peripheral nerve stimulation
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Intrathecal drug pumps
• Stellate ganglion block injections
• Lumbar sympathetic block injections
• Ketamine infusions

Treatment with your pain specialist can diminish discomfort and the chance of worsening problems.

The Advanced Spine and Pain Clinics team tailors each treatment plan to ensure highly effective, long-lasting comfort.

To get relief from CRPS, call the Advanced Spine and Pain Clinics office or use the online booking tab today.