Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/CRPS

[CardinalFang]

Hi all,

(in full: Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome)

My wife just received this diagnosis at the weekend. Does anyone have any experience of this? Successful treatments, or media sites, blogs, forum to follow?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks all, CF.

[The_Doc]

I would steer clear of blogs/forums etc
They often present a very lopsided picture of things. Sometimes the afflicted/indoors live on forums, whereas the get-on-with-life gang are not at the keyboard hammering away. If you take my meaning.


https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pai...
-is an excellent place to start, it really is a great set of info and very balanced.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/co...
-also very good

[meloe]

Hope the wife is ok.

I’ve had this diagnosis label a few times from various Dr and always found it unhelpful. Yes, I have pain, it’s chronic and it’s in a specific place. Felt more like a ‘well we don’t know’ the anything else.

Pain is a funny thing and you get caught in patterns of behaviour.

Anyway, things that I would recommend:

-reduce stress (key, but exceptionally hard with chronic pain)
- daily stretching. Take up yoga, loads of great videos on YouTube
- meditate, all about breathing, especially with pain
- sleep and eat well
- move and exercise as far as possible
- go on a pain management course. I went to a group session course, helped a lot
- take up a hobby / distraction. Really works
-CBT
-osteopath
-massage (myofascial release)
- acupuncture

Try everything and anything, find a routine that works. Most important thing, listen to your body.

Things will get better, try not to focus on the pain. Probably have a few books I could recommend. All the best.

[CardinalFang]

The_Doc said:

I would steer clear of blogs/forums etc
They often present a very lopsided picture of things. Sometimes the afflicted/indoors live on forums, whereas the get-on-with-life gang are not at the keyboard hammering away. If you take my meaning.


https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pai...
-is an excellent place to start, it really is a great set of info and very balanced.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/co...
-also very good

Hi The_Doc,

Thanks - that was our thinking, but thought we should ask, just in case. Appreciate your contribution. Chs, CF

[CardinalFang]

meloe said:

Hope the wife is ok.

I’ve had this diagnosis label a few times from various Dr and always found it unhelpful. Yes, I have pain, it’s chronic and it’s in a specific place. Felt more like a ‘well we don’t know’ the anything else.

Pain is a funny thing and you get caught in patterns of behaviour.

Anyway, things that I would recommend:

-reduce stress (key, but exceptionally hard with chronic pain)
- daily stretching. Take up yoga, loads of great videos on YouTube
- meditate, all about breathing, especially with pain
- sleep and eat well
- move and exercise as far as possible
- go on a pain management course. I went to a group session course, helped a lot
- take up a hobby / distraction. Really works
-CBT
-osteopath
-massage (myofascial release)
- acupuncture

Try everything and anything, find a routine that works. Most important thing, listen to your body.

Things will get better, try not to focus on the pain. Probably have a few books I could recommend. All the best.

Hi Meloe,

Thanks for that - much appreciated. Your suggestions are pretty much the direction we thought we'd take, but just wanted to see if there were any other possibilities we'd missed.

Some book suggestions would be great.

Chs, CF