A Quick Guide on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

By Your Health Magazine

Your Health Magazine

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A Quick Guide on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

CRPS is a nerve condition. Usually, it starts after something small, maybe a broken bone, a sprain, surgery, or even a tiny injury you barely remember. But then, instead of healing like normal, the pain just keeps getting worse.

The skin around the spot might change color. It might swell or feel too hot or too cold. Even a light touch, like a sleeve brushing your arm, can feel unbearable. Some people can’t even stand the air moving across their skin.

Doctors don’t fully agree on why it happens, but they think it has to do with the way the nervous system and immune system overreact. Your body keeps sending pain signals even after the injury is long gone.

If you’ve ever wondered about the causes of CRPS, that’s one of the hardest parts: there isn’t just one. It can happen to anyone. Sometimes after a broken bone. Sometimes after surgery. Sometimes out of nowhere. And that uncertainty, that not knowing why, makes it feel even heavier for the people who live with it.

What Does It Feel Like?

Most people describe CRPS pain as burning. Like the inside of your arm or leg is on fire, but nothing’s actually burning. Others say it’s stabbing, aching, or throbbing. Sometimes it’s all of those at once.

There’s also this strange thing: the pain doesn’t always stay where it started. It can spread. An injury that began in a hand can move up to the arm, or from a foot to the leg.

And then there are the changes you can see. The skin can get shiny or thin. Hair and nails might grow differently. The color of the area might shift to pink, purple, pale, or red. It sounds small, but when you see your own body acting like it’s not yours, it messes with your head.

Some days are better. Some are awful. The unpredictability alone can wear you down.

Who Does It Affect?

Anyone, really. But it tends to show up more in women than men and usually between the ages of 40 and 60. Still, even kids can get it. That’s the part that makes it hard; there’s no clear pattern.

It doesn’t care if you’re strong, healthy, or active. One day you’re fine, the next your body is screaming, and no one can tell you why.

And because it’s rare, a lot of people with CRPS feel invisible. They get told it’s just in their head or that they should try to push through. But CRPS isn’t imaginary. It’s the body’s pain system going haywire, and it’s a very real condition suffered by over 200 thousand people in the US alone.

How Do Doctors Figure It Out?

There’s no single test that diagnoses CRPS. Doctors usually have to rule out everything else first, including infections, nerve damage, arthritis, and blood clots. They’ll look for the pattern: pain that’s too severe for the injury, skin temperature changes, swelling, and movement problems.

Sometimes they’ll run nerve tests or bone scans, but most of it comes down to the symptoms. And that means it can take months before someone even gets a proper diagnosis.

By that time, many people are already exhausted, not just from the pain, but from not being believed.

What Helps (And What Doesn’t)?

There’s no single cure. That’s the hard truth. But some treatments can make life more bearable.

Physical therapy helps keep the body moving, so joints don’t stiffen up. Occupational therapy can help with daily tasks like brushing your hair, typing, cooking, and things that start to feel impossible.

Medication can help too, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Some people find relief with nerve blocks or injections. Others rely on antidepressants or anticonvulsants that calm the nervous system.

Then there’s mirror therapy, where you use a mirror to trick your brain into seeing movement in the painful limb as if it were normal. Sounds odd, but for some, it really works.

What doesn’t help? Ignoring it. Waiting for it to just heal. CRPS gets worse if it’s left untreated. Early treatment gives the best shot at regaining control, even if it’s just a little. 

Summary Points

• CRPS happens when the body’s pain system overreacts after an injury.
• The pain can feel burning, stabbing, or throbbing, and it is often way worse than the injury itself.
• Common causes of CRPS include trauma, fractures, surgery, or even minor injuries.
• It can affect anyone, though it’s more common in women.
• There’s no single test or cure, but early treatment helps.