What Is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?

Complex regional pain syndrome can be one of the most debilitating medical conditions to struggle with. It can affect your sleep, your job, your relationships, and even your mental health. You should be able to have fun with your friends and family without worrying about your next flare-up. Chronic pain can affect your ability to provide for yourself or your family, and generally reduces your quality of life. Fortunately, there are a number of new treatments available that may help you acquire the happier life you desire, without the constant weight of chronic pain.

1. Cause of Pain:

First, you might wonder, what causes the pain of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome? The exact reason for the pain is still unknown, but in more than 90% of cases there is a major injury or trauma prior to the onset of CRPS. That being said, the injuries most likely to develop CRPS are limb immobilization (from casts), bone fractures, soft tissue injuries (burns, cuts, bruises), and strains/sprains. Nerve abnormalities, arthritis, and hereditary CRPS can also lead to CRPS.

2. Remedies to pain, provide alternatives:

Remedies for CRPS vary, depending on the nature of the patient's pain and severity. More extreme treatments include surgical procedures, nerve blocks, drug pumps, and spinal cord stimulation. Some of the more common treatments are anti-inflammatory medication, botox injections, corticosteroids, anti-epileptics, and anti-depressants. One particularly common treatment method is the use of patches and topical anesthetic creams.

3. The benefits of using a topical cream:

Topical creams are such a popular treatment for CRPS because they are highly effective and non-dependency forming. It is very difficult to become dependent on or abuse topical creams, and harmful side effects are less likely with these creams. This is in great contrast to pills and patches, which are harmful enough to cause cognitive impairment or addiction in many cases. Not only are these topical creams safer, they are sometimes offered for free through insurance carriers!

4. How most creams are free through insurance carriers:

Most topical creams for pain require little or no copay. Of course, whether or not your pain cream is covered depends on your own insurance policy and company.

If you are suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, it may be wise to consider switching to or incorporating topical pain creams into your medication regimen. Topical creams can allow you to reduce the amount of oral medications you take for your pain, leading to a reduced chance of forming a habit as well as decreased likelihood of developing common side effects of pain pills such as gastrointestinal issues or impaired cognitive function. If you are interested in trying new options to treat your CRPS, why not consider topical creams? It may be the solution you're looking for.