Best Ways to Alleviate CRPS Symptoms

Pain is often a helpful signal that something in your body is awry and needs addressing. When pain carries on well after an injury, though, it becomes a condition of its own.

When you live with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), the prolonged arm or leg pain and inflammation it brings can range from bothersome to downright debilitating. Your symptoms can also come on suddenly or appear and worsen gradually, or even spread to another body part. 

Regardless of the specifics, appropriate treatment can minimize discomfort and improve your quality of life.

Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, offers a range of pain-relieving treatments for CRPS. Read on to learn more about this condition, including ways we can help.

CRPS basics

CRPS is an umbrella term for long-lasting inflammation and pain that stem from an arm or leg injury. Acute CRPS occurs suddenly and lasts for a relatively short amount of time. Chronic CRPS causes symptoms for more than six months.

Once you have CRPS, your symptoms may include:

• Ongoing burning or throbbing pain in your arm, hand, leg, or foot
• Changes in skin color, temperature, or texture
• Changes in hair or nail growth
• Difficulty moving the affected body part
• Joint swelling or stiffness
• Muscle spasms, tremors, and weakness
• Rough or enlarged bone areas
• Sensitivity to cold or touch
• Swelling of the painful area

In some cases, CRPS symptoms spread from the original source to another place in the body, such as the opposite arm or leg.

Managing CRPS symptoms

CRPS symptoms may go away on their own or linger on indefinitely. There’s no known cure, but effective care can help you regain comfort and mobility while experiencing fewer overall symptoms. And the sooner you seek treatment, the more effective it’s likely to be.

At Houston Pain Specialists, we create customized treatment plans for CRPS based on your specific needs and symptoms. Your plan may include:

• Applying heat to the painful area multiple times per day
• Electrical nerve stimulation for reduced pain and discomfort
• Physical therapy for increased strength and range of motion
• Medications for reduced pain and inflammation
• Nerve block injections to block pain signals to your brain
• Spinal cord stimulation for interrupted pain signals to your brain

To learn more about alleviating your CRPS symptoms or to get the care you need, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kang.