Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Essay

Patient was encouraged to continue with heat, followed by his home exercise program and ice. He will continue with his transcutaneous electrical nerve unit (TENS). Patient was given an ice pack to use, to reduce pain. He was given a 60 mg Toradol injection on this visit.

The most widely used clinical classifications for pain are based on the inferred neurophysiologic mechanisms, temporal aspects, etiology, and region affected. Usually described as nociceptive or non-nociceptive, and by duration, either acute or chronic.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), previously known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD), is a chronic neuro-inflammatory disorder (Sebastian, 2011). This disorder is characterized by persistent, on-going pain and disability. According to the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDA), up to two hundred thousand people in the United States are affected with the disorder every year (“Telltale Signs and Symptoms of CRPS/RSD,” n.d.). Although anyone can be diagnosed with this syndrome, it is most commonly seen in women versus men (3.5:1), and in individuals around age forty (“Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Fact Sheet,” 2013; Goebel, 2011). Unlike most syndromes, diseases, or other illnesses, there is no statistical data available for the mortality rates of CRPS since people do not die from the syndrome. However, those with CRPS may die due to the complications associated with CRPS on the various bodily organ systems including: the cardiac system, respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, endocrine system, urological system, and gastrointestinal system (Schwartzman, 2012).

In October 2007, a nine-year-old Ophelia Brown started experiencing extreme pain in both of her knees. After numerous hospital visits, X-rays and MRIs, she was given a “clean bill of health (cite)” by doctors. However in 2012, she was referred to a rheumatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), where she was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). CRPS is a neuropathic disorder that is caused by damage to the peripheral and central nervous systems, which then causes the pain to radiate through the limbs. Ophelia experiences “every type of pain”, according to her mother, Sheila Craig and this pain is treated with drugs and physiotherapy. Specifically, Ophelia takes anti-anxiety drugs and a muscle relaxant.

“Pain is much more than a physical sensation caused by a specific stimulus. An individual's perception of pain has important affective (emotional), cognitive, behavioral, and sensory components that are shaped by past experience, culture, and situational factors. The nature of the stimulus for pain can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both.” (Potter, Perry, Stockert, Hall, & Peterson, 2014 p. 141) As stated by Potter et al, the different natures of pain are dealt with differently depending on many factors. Knowing this, treating pain can be very difficult as there is no single or clear cut way of measuring it; “Even though the assessment and treatment of pain is a universally important health care issue,

I hurt…Over the many year’s now of dealing with the disease commonly referred to today as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), this simple yet weighted term of “I hurt” has become imprinted upon my brain. This term has also become synonymous in describing how I feel to every physician, family member, and friend, when describing the chief symptom with CRPS. What is also troubling, is all the additional place's I hurt now since being diagnosed with this disease.

CRPS is uncommon, amongst all individuals, however, can easily affect a person after a traumatic injury to a limb. CRPS symptoms differ in severity and duration and the outcome for each individual is different, for example, children and teenager have a higher prospect of recovering, whereas others are left with irreversible variations regardless of treatment (National Institute of Neurological

Chronic pain has four mechanisms. Nociception is a neural signal of threatened or damaged tissue, and is the classical pain pathway. Central pain states are thought to be caused by abnormal activity in neurons in the afferent pathway. The mechanism for this is not completely understood, and a person may perceive pain where there is no tissue damage. Behavioral pain is communicated by a

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a nerve disorder that causes long-lasting (chronic) pain. CRPS usually occurs in your limbs, such as your arms or legs.

Jack Ma, one of the world's most influential businessmen, known for his philosophy of business once said, “Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will get better” (Jack Ma). This quote is my motto and has pushed me through tough times in my life. One major challenge in my life is living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), as it affects me daily, yet CRPS has taught me several valuable lessons.

Pain can be categorized as acute or chronic pain. Chronic pain is described as pain that is both long-term and continuous, or is pain that persists after the expected healing time following an injury (British Pain Society, n.d.) Acute pain can provide a warning signal that an illness or injury has occurred. It is defined as pain that lasts less than three months and lessens with healing (Briggs, 2010). Acute pain can then be described in more detail by the following categories; somatic, visceral and neuropathic pain. Somatic pain is a localized pain described as sharp, burning, dull, aching or cramping. It is seen with incisional pain and orthopedic injuries or procedures. Visceral pain refers to an injury to the organs and linings of the body cavities. It produces diffuse pain and can be described as splitting, sharp or stabbing. This is pain that be described from patients with appendicitis, pancreatitis or intestinal injuries and illnesses. Injuries to the nerve fibers, spinal cord and central nervous system cause neuropathic pain. This pain can be described as shooting, burning, fiery, sharp, and as a painful numbness. This can be seen after an

Neuropathic pain is the result of injury. “Neuropathic pain can occur as the result of such conditions as shingles, cancer, phantom limb pain, the phenomenon known as entrapment neuropath” (The Gazette). People with pain go see a doctor and they get subscribe to pain killers. However Pain killers can be very dangerous. For instance on can get addicted to pain killers by taking them for a long period of time. Using pain killers can be damage to your system and by the time you don’t need them anymore the body will still want them.

There are many different types of pain which can be categorised depending on how the pain is caused and how long the pain lasts. If pain results from tissue damage then it is called nociceptive pain and this includes pain from pressure applied outside of the body, like a cut or a burn, or from pressure inside the body such as a tumour. Another type of pain is neuropathic pain which is pain experienced when there is damage to

The perception of pain and the emotions that control intensity differ in individuals. Since feeling pain is somewhat adaptive, when one experiences it, he or she becomes aware of an injury and tries to remove oneself from the source that caused the injury. For this reason, pain is considered neuropathic or inflammatory in nature. Thus, when pain is the outcome from the damage caused to the neurons of the peripheral and central nervous system, then that pain is neuropathic. However, if the pain signals any kind of tissue damage, then the pain is inflammatory in nature. Due to various types of pain, the interpretation of pain by neurons and the source of that pain

Facial Pain Syndromes and Their Types with Treatment Introduction Facial pain syndromes are neurological disorders that belong to idiopathic pain, or pain with unknown causes. There are different types of facial pain syndromes, and most of them are chronic pain conditions that require trial and error. Having said that, these conditions are not life-threatening, so a patient has room for pursuing different options for treatment. Although it’s normally due to an injury or a headache, facial pain may also be the result of a serious medical condition, so calling a doctor for evaluation is advised. Types of Facial Pain Syndromes and Their Treatment There are various types of facial pain syndromes, but here are the most common conditions