What doctor works with CRPS?

When a primary care physician gathers evidence suggesting you may eventually be diagnosed with CRPS, he or she should refer you to a neurologist for ongoing diagnostic work and treatment.

Is CRPS a disability in Australia?

A diagnosis of CRPS, in and of itself, will not qualify you or disability benefits.

How common is CRPS in Australia?

About 5000 Australians are newly diagnosed with CRPS every year, and in any given year, about 22,000 Australians will suffer from CRPS. CRPS is three times more common in females than in males.

What is the best medicine for CRPS?

Gabapentin and pregabalin are the most widely used anticonvulsants for treating CRPS. Common side effects of anticonvulsants include drowsiness, dizziness and weight gain.

What triggers CRPS?

In more than 90 percent of cases, CRPS is triggered by nerve trauma or injury to the affected limb that damages the thinnest sensory and autonomic nerve fibers.

Can you fully recover from CRPS?

Most people recover fully, but the condition can recur and for a small group of people with CRPS, symptoms may be severe and persist for years. CRPS used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).

How bad is CRPS?

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) causes pain that can be severe, constant, and completely perplexing. In the worst cases, CRPS causes the loss of mobility and function. If you develop pain in the aftermath of an injury or trauma that lasts longer than six months, seek your doctor’s counsel.

Can you get surgery for CRPS?

Surgery on an extremity affected with CRPS is generally avoided because of the risk that the symptoms will recur or worsen. 29–31Unfortunately, as many as 6–10% of patients with CRPS may require surgery on the affected extremity.

Has anyone died from CRPS?

Although a literature search reveals claims that CRPS/RSD patients have an extraordinarily high incidence of suicide, and a CRPS/RSD patient actually read testimony into a Subcommittee on Health in June of 2001, saying that CRPS/RSD leads to death and the leading cause of that death is suicide, there is absolutely no …

Can you live with CRPS?

Over time, if the syndrome is not treated in the first six months, it can become a long-term disability, leaving people unable to move and in constant excruciating pain. There is no cure for CRPS.