Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Education: a personal perspective
Introduction You’ve likely heard the term homeostasis in a biology-related class before: the body’s ability to maintain stable internal environmental systems despite external changes. However, have you heard the term allostasis or the body’s ability to adjust the internal environmental systems to meet external stressors? Are you familiar with the term allostatic load or the … Read More “Allostatic Load: The Price of Adaption” »
“Paradoxically, hope is on intimate terms with despair. It asks for more than life promises. It is poised for despair.” — Cheryl Mattingly Hope is a multifaceted thing that can be “characterized in multiple ways: as an existential state; as a posture towards the world; as a practice involving significant work; and importantly, as inherently … Read More “Hoping Against Hope: Despair, Hopelessness, and Integrity” »
Many individuals with CRPS or other disabilities may find they need assistance with tasks of daily living—such as meal preparation, bathing, dressing, mobility, shopping, or transportation. Some people may have friends or family willing and able to take on caregiver roles while others lack social supports who can fulfill their needs or any social supports … Read More “Personal Care Programs and CRPS: In-Home Health Aides” »
As expounded on in the previous article on Centralized Pain, we discussed how prolonged pain system activation can lead to hyper-responsiveness and lowered thresholds so nerves fire more easily, a dual phenomenon called wind-up and sensitization. Sensitization is when pain loses its protective properties and becomes maladaptive and pathological; but the protective purpose of pain … Read More “Desensitization and CRPS: Exposure-Based Approaches” »
Many with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome experience disproportionate pain that is no longer being sustained by an injury or noxious event (even if an injury may have been the initial trigger) that remains contained to a single body area or they may develop widespread, disparate pain and dysfunction that can affect multiple body areas over … Read More “Centralized Pain and CRPS” »
Ballooned, enlarged, puffy, unbalanced, or disproportionate-looking CRPS-affected areas are a regular occurrence in the experience of those with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome—whether that is to mild or extreme degrees and whether it is come-and-go, was highly visible close to onset and became less visible over time, or is a 24/7-round-the-clock symptom. Let’s discuss what’s going … Read More “Swelling and Manual Lymphatic Drainage” »
In search for avenues to put CRPS into remission or reduce the impact of symptoms in daily life, many individuals may explore whether dietary adjustments can have a role in CRPS mitigation and management. To be clear, diet will not “cure” CRPS, but it can have a significant influence on the quality and intensity of … Read More “Noshing for Neural Health: Tyrosine and Tryptophan” »
As the wet, cold winter weather sets in, many people with CRPS notice a sharp increase in their pain and dysfunction. Let’s discuss why some of this happens and a few practical actions that may help mitigate it. This pain increase is primarily due to our vasomotor dysfunction, which as a result exacerbates nociceptive small … Read More “CRPS and Cold Weather: Increased Pain Due to Dropping Temperatures” »