Treatment for CRPS/RSD must be individualized. No one treatment will work for everyone. Most treatments and medications were developed to treat other chronic pain syndromes and may not be covered by your insurance.

Treatment for CRPS may be difficult. The goal is to seek pain relief and to restore function.

Treatment methods are continuously evolving as research and clinical practice provides new evidence and insights. For example, it was once thought that sympathetic nerve blocks were a diagnostic tool and a curative procedure. This has been disproven over time.

Some current treatment methods that may work for you are:

• Use of anti-convulsants
• Use of TCA antidepressants
• Physical and occupational therapy (including graded motor imagery and mirror box therapy)
• The anesthetic Ketamine
• Steroids in the acute phase
• Nerve blocks
• Spinal cord stimulator
• Warm water therapy
• Calmare therapy
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Use of opiates (may be considered controversial)
• Bisphosphonates

There are some emerging treatments that are receiving increased attention including Kinesio Taping and low-dose naltrexone. RSDSA is funding a pilot study of this medication at Stanford University.

For a library of articles with detailed information about these and other treatments, including guidelines for dental procedures in CRPS/RSD patients, visit our Resources page.

To keep up with the latest and most effective treatments, subscribe to our newsletter and read the RSDSA blog weekly.

Treatment/Support

• Ask the Doctor: CRPS and Sleep Disorders
  By R. Norman Harden, MD
• Biofeedback for CRPS: Why Haven’t I Tried That?
  By Kenneth R. Lofland, PhD
• Cannabis and CRPS
  By Jim Doulgeris
• Clinical Corner: How are bone scans used in the diagnosis and treatment of CRPS?
  By Angela Mailis-Gagnon, MD, MSc
• Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy: Can it Relieve Your Pain?
  By Patricia McAdams
• Ketamine and CRPS
  By Jim Doulgeris
• Lessons from the Front: Questions for Lt. Col. Chester C. Buckenmaier, III
• Low Dose Naltrexone
  By Jim Doulgeris
• My doctor says they have to lower my long-term opioid medicine. “What can I do? What do I say?”
  By Stefan Kertesz, MD, MSc
• Pregabalin and Gabapentin for Neuropathic Pain and CRPS
  By Brett R. Stacey, MD, and Pamela Campbell, MD
• Spinal Cord Stimulation and Neuromodulation
  By Jim Doulgeris
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation
  By Jim Doulgeris
• What is the Difference between Peripheral Neuropathy and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?
  By Elliot T. Udell, DPM
• Ziconotide in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
  By Lynn R. Webster, MD, FACPM, FASAM

Physical and Occupational Therapy

• Using Physical Therapy Management of Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Pilot Study
• Aqua Therapy: A Key Ingredient in Treating CRPS, shows the important role that aqua therapy plays in the interdisciplinary treatment of people with CRPS.  Lee Rosenzweig, DPT, PT, CT, of the Hospital for Special Surgery,  demonstrates teaching techniques for individuals with upper and lower extremity CRPS. Aqua therapy may help people with CRPS who have limited movement and/or have low tolerance for resistive therapeutic activities.