Exploring peoples’ lived experience of complex regional pain syndrome in Australia: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Beales ◽  
David Carolan ◽  
Joshua Chuah-Choong ◽  
Sarah Hammond ◽  
Eimear O’Brien ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesComplex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a persistent pain condition which is often misunderstood and poorly managed. Qualitative studies are needed to explore the lived experience of the condition and to better understand patient perspectives on their management experiences and needs. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of CRPS in Australia, including exploration of their perceptions of care and advice received from healthcare professionals.MethodsA qualitative study with individual in-depth semi-structured, face-to-face interviews was performed (n=15, 80% female, average time elapsed since diagnosis 3.8 years). Qualitative data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsFour main themes with associated subthemes were identified, representing the participants’ journey: (1) Life Changing Impact of CRPS (Subthemes: Impact on self, Impact on others); (2) Variable Experiences of Care (Subthemes: Helpful experiences of care, Unhelpful experiences of care); (3) Making Sense of CRPS (Subthemes: Knowledge and understanding, Dealing with unpredictability); and (4) Perceptions on Lessons Learned from Living with CRPS (Subthemes: Acceptance was an important part of the journey, Trial and error was necessary to find an individual way forward, Coping strategies).ConclusionsThe themes identified align to and expand on prior qualitative research findings in people with CRPS. It highlights the challenges people face related to their personal self, their close relationships and their social and work roles. It highlights the difficulties these people have in finding reliable, trust-worthy information. These findings suggest that healthcare professionals may benefit from education about how to better support people with CRPS, including helping people to navigate to the right care. Engaging people with CRPS in the development of educational resources should be a future research goal. It is recommended that patient perspectives are incorporated into the development of care pathways for CRPS.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Punit Pruthi ◽  
Pramod Arora ◽  
Manoj Mittal ◽  
Anugrah Nair ◽  
Waqia Sultana

Venipuncture is one of the most commonly done medical procedures. We report a unique case of a 23-year-old young male who presented with features suggestive of inflammatory arthritis. The symptoms, which initially started on the right side, also involved the other side after a few weeks. Although the patient’s symptoms and signs were simulating inflammatory arthritis, he had atypical features like poor response to anti-inflammatory medicines and normal laboratory parameters. His musculoskeletal ultrasonography was also not suggestive of arthritis. His history was reviewed and on direct questioning he revealed a history of venipuncture for blood sample withdrawal, done from right antecubital region for routine health check on the day prior to the onset of symptoms. Complex regional pain syndrome was suspected and triple-phase radioisotope bone scan was done which was highly suggestive of this diagnosis. The patient was managed with multidimensional approach and responded very well to the treatment. Complex regional pain syndrome is usually not thought of in the initial differential diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis. In this report we highlight the need to elicit the often overlooked history of trivial trauma like venipuncture, especially in atypical cases of arthritis. Also the role of newer diagnostic modalities in such cases is emphasized.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-82
Author(s):  
V. N Merkulov ◽  
A. I Dorokhin ◽  
A. I Krupatkin ◽  
M. V Merkulov ◽  
M. A Avakova

Case report on 14 years old girl with type 1 complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is presented. At first admission in 5.5 months after right hand injury and development of type 1 CRPS, paravasal sympathectomy on the right upper extremity was performed. Complete elimination of pain syndrome and restoration of the extremity function was achieved. Five and a half months after discharge the left foot and in 3 weeks later the right hand were injured. In both cases injuries were accompanied by pronounced CRPS clinical picture. At second admission in 6 weeks after foot injury interventional treatment with placement of catheters next to nerve trunks and bolus administration of antibiotics was performed for 1 week and enabled to achieve remission of the disease. It was noted that not only hypersymphaticotony but also psychological status of a patient were important for the disease development.


Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Ho Jang ◽  
You Sung Seo

A 54-year-old male suffered from direct head trauma resulting from a fall while working. At approximately two months after the accident, he began to feel pain (burning sensation) and swelling of the dorsum of the right hand and wrist. He showed the following clinical features among the clinical signs and symptoms of revised diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS): spontaneous pain, mechanical hyperalgesia, vasodilation, skin temperature asymmetries, skin color changes, swelling, motor weakness. No specific lesion was observed on brain MRI taken at ten weeks after onset. Plain X-ray, electromyography, and nerve conduction studies for the right upper extremity detected no abnormality. A three-phase bone scan showed hot uptake in the right wrist in the delayed image. On two-month diffusion tensor tractography, partial tearing of the corticospinal tract (CST) was observed at the subcortical white matter in both hemispheres (much more severe in the left CST). In addition, the fiber number of the right CST was significantly decreased than that of seven normal control subjects. CRPS I of the right hand in this patient appeared to be related to traumatic axonal injury of the left CST following mild traumatic brain injury.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Fackrell ◽  
Linda Stratmann ◽  
Veronica Kennedy ◽  
Carol MacDonald ◽  
Hilary Hodgson ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine research priorities in hyperacusis that key stakeholders agree are the most important.Design/settingA priority setting partnership using two international surveys, and a UK prioritisation workshop, adhering to the six-staged methodology outlined by the James Lind Alliance.ParticipantsPeople with lived experience of hyperacusis, parents/carers, family and friends, educational professionals and healthcare professionals who support and/or treat adults and children who experience hyperacusis, including but not limited to surgeons, audiologists, psychologists and hearing therapists.MethodsThe priority setting partnership was conducted from August 2017 to July 2018. An international identification survey asked respondents to submit any questions/uncertainties about hyperacusis. Uncertainties were categorised, refined and rephrased into representative indicative questions using thematic analysis techniques. These questions were verified as ‘unanswered’ through searches of current evidence. A second international survey asked respondents to vote for their top 10 priority questions. A shortlist of questions that represented votes from all stakeholder groups was prioritised into a top 10 at the final prioritisation workshop (UK).ResultsIn the identification survey, 312 respondents submitted 2730 uncertainties. Of those uncertainties, 593 were removed as out of scope, and the remaining were refined into 85 indicative questions. None of the indicative questions had already been answered in research. The second survey collected votes from 327 respondents, which resulted in a shortlist of 28 representative questions for the final workshop. Consensus was reached on the top 10 priorities for future research, including identifying causes and underlying mechanisms, effective management and training for healthcare professionals.ConclusionsThese priorities were identified and shaped by people with lived experience, parents/carers and healthcare professionals, and as such are an essential resource for directing future research in hyperacusis. Researchers and funders should focus on addressing these priorities.


Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jang ◽  
Kwon ◽  
Lee

Objectives: We report on a patient with whiplash injury who had central pain, due to injury of the spinothalamic tract (STT), but who was misdiagnosed as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Case description: While a minivan in which a 43-year-old female was seated in the passenger seat was stopped for a signal, a truck collided with the minivan from behind, and the minivan then repeatedly collided with trucks in front and behind the minivan. Her head repeatedly struck the minivan seat resulting in whiplash injuries. After onset, she felt pain in both legs with mild motor weakness in all four extremities and memory impairment. Eight years after onset, she was diagnosed at a university hospital as CRPS type 1 with the clinical features of hyperalgesia and mild edema and motor weakness of both legs. She visited another university hospital nine years after onset and complained of pain in the right arm and both legs, constant tingling and burning pain along with allodynia and hyperalgesia. She also showed mild weakness in the four extremities, mild edema of both legs, and memory impairment. On diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), the left spinothalamic tract (STT) showed marked narrowing, and the right STT revealed mild narrowing and partial tearing. In addition, partial tears were observed in both corticospinal tracts and the right corticoreticulospinal tract. Discontinuations were observed in the left corticoreticulospinal tract and the left fornical crus. Conclusion: Injury of the STT was demonstrated on DTT in a patient with central pain following whiplash injury. Previously, the patient was misdiagnosed as CRPS.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3;11 (5;3) ◽  
pp. 339-342
Author(s):  
Paul E. Schulz

In this case report, we describe the effect of ketamine infusion in a case of severe refractory complex regional pain syndrome I (CRPS I). The patient was initially diagnosed with CRPS I in her right upper extremity. Over the next 6 years, CRPS was consecutively diagnosed in her thoracic region, left upper extremity, and both lower extremities. The severity of her pain, combined with the extensive areas afflicted by CRPS, caused traumatic emotional problems for this patient. Conventional treatments, including anticonvulsants, bisphosphonates, oral steroids and opioids, topical creams, dorsal column spinal cord stimulation, spinal morphine infusion, sympathetic ganglion block, and sympathectomy, failed to provide long-term relief from pain. An N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist inhibitor, ketamine, was recently suggested to be effective at resolving intractable pain. The patient was then given several infusions of intravenous ketamine. After the third infusion, the edema, discoloration, and temperature of the affected areas normalized. The patient became completely pain-free. At one-year of follow-up, the patient reported that she has not experienced any pain since the last ketamine infusion. Treatment with intravenous ketamine appeared to be effective in completely resolving intractable pain caused by severe refractory CRPS I. Future research on this treatment is needed. Key words: Ketamine, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), treatment


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. V8
Author(s):  
Kevin Hines ◽  
Fadi Al Saiegh ◽  
Aria Mahtabfar ◽  
Kavantissa M. Keppetipola ◽  
Caio M. Matias ◽  
...  

This is a case of a 54-year-old man presenting with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type 1 of the right lower extremity, which was most debilitating in the plantar aspect of the right foot. The patient had prior treatment with thoracic spinal cord stimulation; however, the foot pain remained intractable. Given that his pain was predominantly in his foot and remained debilitating despite thoracic spinal cord stimulation, it was recommended that the patient undergo a trial of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation. The surgical technique for placement of dorsal root ganglion stimulators is demonstrated in this operative video.The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/_1xMxFZa6tU


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 276-284
Author(s):  
Ye-Ha Jung ◽  
Hyeonjin Kim ◽  
Dasom Lee ◽  
Jae-Yeon Lee ◽  
Won Joon Lee ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
S.H. Botha

Complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS), type 1 is a pain disorder that develops unpredictably and can follow a minor injury. A 12-year-old boy presented with severe pain in the feet and could not walk or stand weight bearing. Normal X-rays showed osteopenic changes and radiolucent lines, which appeared to be stress fractures. Three-phase bone scintigraphy showed no uptake in the left lower leg on the blood pool phase or on the immediate or delayed images. This indicated typical CPRS type 1 in children. The uptake in the right foot was increased and the stress fracture and other illness could not be differentiated. Computed tomography was done to exclude stress fractures. Only osteopenic changes in both calcaneus bones were found and there was no evidence of cortical stress fractures. Magnetic resonance images revealed oedema in the calcaneus and talus bones of both feet. The patient received epidural narcotic infusion with sympathetic blockage for 1 week combined with extensive physiotherapy. The blood pool phase of the bone scan became normal within 2 weeks, and increased uptake in both feet was noticed. The patient was followed up with MRI every 3 months and the bone marrow oedema disappeared after 6 months.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Borba Neves ◽  
José Vilaça-Alves ◽  
Claudio Rosa ◽  
Victor Machado Reis

One kind of medical images that has been developed in the last decades is thermal images. These images are assessed by infrared cameras and have shown an exponential development in recent years. In this sense, the aim of this study was to describe possibilities of thermography usage in the neurologic practice. It was performed a systematic review in Web of Knowledge (Thompson Reuters), set in all databases which used two combination of keywords as “topic”: “thermography” and “neurology”; and “thermography” and “neurologic”. The chronological period was defined from 2000 to 2014 (the least 15 years). Among the studies included in this review, only seven were with experimental design. It is few to bring thermography as a daily tool in clinical practice. However, these studies have suggested good results. The studies of review and an analyzed patent showed that the authors consider the thermography as a diagnostic tool and they recommend its usage. It can be concluded that thermography is already used as a diagnostic and monitoring tool of patients with neuropathies, particularly in complex regional pain syndrome, and stroke. And yet, this tool has great potential for future research about its application in diagnosis of other diseases of neurological origin.


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