Treatment:

There is no cure for CRPS, but the disease can be slowed. The main focus is on relieving the symptoms and helping people with this syndrome live as normal a life as possible.

Physical and occupational therapy should be started as early as possible. Starting an exercise program and learning to keep joints and muscles moving may prevent the disease from getting worse and help you perform everyday activities.

Medications may be used, including pain medicines, steroids, certain blood pressure medicines, bone loss medications (such as bisphosphonates like Fosamax and Actonel), and antidepressants.

Some type of talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or psychotherapy, can help teach the skills you need to live with chronic pain.

Surgical or invasive techniques that may be tried:

• Injected medicine that numbs the affected nerves or pain fibers around the spinal column (nerve block)
• Internal pain pump that directly delivers medications to the spinal cord (intrathecal drug pump)
• Spinal cord stimulator, which involves placing electrodes (electrical leads) next to the spinal cord. A low-level electrical current is used to create a pleasant or tingling sensation in the painful area, which may help distract from the pain.
• Surgery that cuts the nerves to destroy the pain (surgical sympathectomy), although it is unclear how many patients this helps. It may also make some patients' symptoms worse.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outlook is better with an early diagnosis. If the doctor diagnoses the condition within the first stage, sometimes signs of the disease may disappear (remission) and normal movement is possible.

If the condition is not diagnosed quickly, changes to the bone and muscle may get worse and may not be reversible.

In some people, symptoms go away on their own. In other people, even with treatment the pain continues and the condition causes crippling, irreversible changes.

Complications:

• Loss of muscle size or strength in the affected limb
• Spread of the disease to another part of the body
• Worsening of the affected limb

Complications can also occur with some of the nerve and surgical treatments.

Calling your health care provider:

Contact your health care provider if you develop constant, burning pain in an arm, leg, hand, or foot.