Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Pain disproportionate to the original injury, diagnosed against structured criteria, with early, graded rehabilitation considered important to outcome.
What it is
CRPS is a chronic pain condition, usually affecting a limb, marked by pain disproportionate to the inciting injury together with sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor, and motor/trophic changes. Diagnosis follows the Budapest criteria, requiring reported symptoms in at least three of these domains and observed signs in at least two, since no single test confirms the condition. Early recognition and graded rehabilitation are generally considered important to outcome.
Common symptoms & concerns
- Swelling, vasomotor changes, marked tenderness, and allodynia (pain from normally non-painful touch)
- Skin and muscle changes, brittle nails, mottled skin, or more intense and proximal pain as the condition progresses
- Pale, smooth, shiny skin and developing contractures in longer-standing presentations
- Presentation and progression are highly individual — not every patient moves through every stage
Assessment & care
Assessment approach
Assessment applies the Budapest criteria directly, checking reported symptoms and observed signs across sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor, and motor/trophic domains, since no single test confirms CRPS.
In-scope care
In-scope care includes a multidisciplinary pain-rehabilitation program, MET, and biofeedback, with mind-body practices available for autonomic regulation. Desensitisation-based rehabilitation and biofeedback-based autonomic training address the sensory and autonomic components of CRPS together.
Treatments used
Related questions
Diagnosis follows the Budapest criteria, which require reported symptoms in at least three of several symptom categories and observed signs in at least two, since no single test confirms CRPS.
Not necessarily. The traditional three-stage progression is a clinical framework, but presentation is highly individual and early treatment is associated with better outcomes.
No. CRPS involves sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor, and motor/trophic changes together, usually in a limb, with pain disproportionate to the original injury.