Do you have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)? Perhaps you do and you just don’t know it, or perhaps you haven’t ever heard this term before. Today, our Oklahoma Pain Treatment Centers team wanted to shed a little light on the subject and let people dealing with this problem know that there is a treatment option we can offer in order to relieve some pain.

First, our Oklahoma Pain Treatment Centers therapists want to dive into what CRPS really means. It is defined as a pain condition that lasts greater than six months and usually affects one limb. The pain is generally felt in the arm, leg, hand, or foot, and it is believed to be caused by damage to, or malfunction of, the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is recorded that approximately 90 percent of people with CRPS have experienced a traumatic injury.

Other than prolonged pain, some more common symptoms of CRPS include:

• The skin changing textures in affected area (may appear shiny and thin)

• An abnormal amount of sweating in the affected or surrounding areas

• A change in the nail and hair growth patterns

• Stiffness in affected joints

• Difficulty coordinating muscle movement, especially of the affected limb

• Tremors or jerking of the affected limb

It is important to note that individuals without a confirmed nerve injury are classified as having CRPS-I, and those with an associated, confirmed nerve injury are categorized as having CRPS-II. Either way, the pain, swelling, color, and sweating can be reduced, and mobility may also be restored for patients who undergo treatments using stellate ganglion block injections.

Our Oklahoma Pain Treatment Centers therapists use these stellate ganglion blocks to block the sympathetic nerves in order to help patients feel a sense of relief. Not everyone, unfortunately, is a good candidate for ongoing injections. Patients in advanced stages of the disease may not respond adequately. If you respond to the first injection, you will be recommended for repeat injections.

For more information and to find out if stellate ganglion block injections would be right for treatment of pain caused by CRPS, please call 405-751-0011 to make an appointment at our Oklahoma Pain Treatment Centers office.