ABSTRACT
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by constant, severe, deep, diffuse, burning pain; abnormal pain response; autonomic dysfunction; and difficulty in motor functioning. It typically affects the extremities, but less frequently also affects other areas of the body, including head and breast. CRPS usually develops following surgery, trauma (such as a sprain, fracture, or crush injury), or injury to a peripheral nerve, although it may develop without an initiating event. The condition also has been reported in association with other medical conditions, including myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accident, traumatic brain injury, neoplastic tumor, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, and spinal cord injury. Although long thought to affect only adults, CRPS has been found to affect children and adolescents (Wilder, Berde, Wolohan, Vieyra, & Masek, 1992). The condition develops at variable rates, can spread to other parts of the body, often responds poorly to treatment, and can progress to become a disabling chronic pain syndrome.
