The Netflix documentary “Take Care of Maya” has raised awareness of, and many questions about CRPS Disease. CRPS, or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, is a serious, incurable disease that may not be as rare as it is rarely diagnosed. The good news is that if it is diagnosed early, it can be put into remission, often for a lifetime. RSDSA, the international CRPS support group, shows you how to tell if you or a loved one may have CRPS and where to get the right help. Just follow this link to find out if You or Your Child Has CRPS.

CRPS Disease

CRPS, also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, is rare, but as more pediatricians become aware of it, it may not be so rare in all ages as it has been rarely diagnosed. That’s important because treatment within a month or two of onset can avoid long-term disability and a lifetime of misery in many cases.

If you or a loved one has pain that is getting worse, especially if it is more severe than one would expect from the original injury, trauma, or medical procedure, and that pain is:

  • Described as deep, aching, cold, or burning, especially with increased skin sensitivity,
  • Persistent and excessive and does not subside with healing,
  • Moderate to severe caused by something that should not cause pain at all such as the touch of clothing, touching a room temperature metal or stone object, or taking a shower,
  • In areas that should not be painful at all,
  • Accompanied by abnormal swelling, sweating, skin color changes, hair and/or nail growth,
  • Associated with abnormal skin temperature, that is, one side of the body, a foot, or a hand, warmer or colder than the other by more than 1°C or 2°F,
  • Limited range of motion, weakness, or other motor disorders including paralysis or dystonia, which is involuntary, repetitive movement.

For more information on CRPS and RSDSA, visit the RSDSA website.

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