Color the World Orange 2016 – CRPS Awareness

It all starts with an idea. That’s how our friends over at Color the World Orange became successful. They had an idea and acted upon it. Now, we are approaching the 3rd Annual Color the World Orange Day on November 7, 2016! Color the World Orange is a day of worldwide awareness for CRPS. Taking place on the first Monday in November, Color the World Orange encourages members of the CRPS/RSD community to take action. Whether people are getting their friends and family to wear orange to school or work, or if they are getting proclamations for their city/state, every part of Color the World Orange helps make a difference. This year, Color the World Orange is even listed on…continue reading

Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover- What CRPS Taught Me

By Guest Blogger Shannon Leidig Greetings everyone!  Happy Autumn! I so cannot believe we are almost to the end of October, which means the cold and snow of winter is just around the corner. I for one so am not NOT ready for that.  I truly hope everyone is doing well.  I have been meaning to write another blog for quite a while; however, this thing called LIFE just happened to get in the way – as this was not the blog I had planned to write.  That being said – there has been a situation that has happened that has totally rocked my world and that [is why] I feel I need to write this one titled: “Don’t Judge…continue reading

The Myth of a Cure for CRPS

WHAT DOES REMISSION LOOK LIKE? By Dr. Katinka van der Merwe Dr. Katinka van der Merwe is a chiropractor who practices in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She treats the Central Nervous System, (specifically the Autonomic Nervous System) with the “Three Punch System”, recently revised to the “Four Punch System.” Her work is detailed on this site in an earlier blog. She has treated CRPS patients from all over the world in her clinic, and is the author of “Putting Out the Fire: New Hope for RSD/CRPS Patients,” expected to be released on Amazon in November. Her clinic number is 479-304-8202. Through the years of working with CRPS patients, I have often encountered what I refer to as “the myth of remission.” What…continue reading

Calmare Scrambler Therapy – When Traditional CRPS Treatments Don’t Work

Written by Michael J. Cooney, D.C., Clinical Director of Calmare Therapy NJ USA. My 30-year career has revolved around treating pain. Since I was a kid, I was always trying to “fix” everybody. In high school, I played on the tennis team and was the self-designated team doctor. Decades later, Dr. Kelly and I grew frustrated that we could not lessen the pain of some of our treatment and medication-resistant patients at our clinic located just outside New York City. So we went in search of a non-invasive pain treatment to help the patients dealing with severe neuropathic pain and we discovered Calmare. We introduced this technology in 2011, and many of our patients were frustrated RSD sufferers who had…continue reading

Longest Day Golf Recap: How It’s Helping RSDSA

By Samantha Barrett RSDSA's very first Longest Day of Golf took place this week. On Monday, September 26, RSDSA was lucky enough to take part in a golf marathon and Innis Arden Golf Club. We had Zach Baron, from Arccos, golfing on our behalf with the support of Jim Broatch. Also at the marathon were fifteen other golfers representing Malta House and the Susan Flynn Oncology Nursing Foundation. Golfers took to the golf course trying to complete as many holes of golf as possible to raise money for the charities they were representing. Prior to the event, which we deemed our very first Longest Day of Golf event, we collected donations. Some people submitted pledges on a per-hole basis. For…continue reading

RSDSA’s Longest Day of Golf- Meet Zach

Interview Conducted by Samantha Barrett Monday, September 26 is RSDSA's very first Longest Day of Golf. We wanted to find someone that would represent us in a great way. That's when Zach Baron came along. As this is being posted, Zach is trying to complete as many holes of golf as possible for RSDSA. People have been making pledges per hole and one-time donations to make this event a success. The more holes of golf Zach completes, the more fundraising is done for RSDSA. We interviewed Zach before he took to the green. Samantha Barrett: Hi Zach! Thank you for participating on behalf of RSDSA for the Longest Day of Golf. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?…continue reading

Comparing Pain- Why We Shouldn’t Do That

By Samantha Barrett There are some things that we all do subconsciously. We judge books (and people) by their covers, we tell little white lies to spare people’s feelings, and we compare our pain to the pain of people around us. None of these actions are particularly good for us, especially when it comes to comparing pain. But why is something that comes so naturally to so many of us harmful? It is a touchy subject, so let’s dive right in. I was diagnosed ten years ago with CRPS/RSD. At the time, I was incredibly young and getting bullied for having a condition that no one could see. I needed to educate myself so I could educate others. When I…continue reading

A Measured Approach to Pain- Help People with Chronic Pain

By Guest Blogger Elisa Friedlander Written for the Huffington Post initially titled: A Measure Approach to Pain: Tools to Help Patients and Doctors "There’s one question I’ve been asked more than any other in my adult life. On a recent visit to the emergency room, I heard it once again. My pain was so intense I could hardly tolerate the standard intake procedures: getting my blood pressure taken and explaining why I was there was beyond me. When I told the admitting nurse about my symptoms, she followed up with those overly familiar words. “What’s your pain level on a scale of 1-10?” I couldn’t do it. It might have been the feeling of scalding hot knives piercing my body…continue reading

Opioids: Friend or Foe? | CRPS

By Alaa A. Abd-Elsayed, MD (Dr. Al) Assistant Professor Department of Anesthesiology University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Madison, WI It is nearly impossible to search for information on chronic pain conditions without stumbling across articles on the dangers of opioids.  The FDA has recently published action plans to reduce opioid abuse and a number of states are putting together new regulations regarding opioid prescribing.  For those suffering with chronic pain, all this negative talk of opioids can make someone who is using (not abusing) them feel like they are wearing a scarlet letter.  While the rationale for implementing these strict regulations on opioid prescriptions comes with good intent, it is also a burden those in need…continue reading

Jodi’s Story of Hope- DRG Stimulator and CRPS

Read this story of hope about Jodi, who lives with CRPS, from Ainsworth Institute of Pain Management. "Jodi, like most women, does it all. She is a mom, Nonna, baker, kickboxing instructor, softball player, wife, sister, you name it! Jodi led a very active, very busy and very happy life. On April 17th, 2014 while on vacation, Jodi was involved in an automobile accident that would leave her with a broken ankle. Jodi’s doctor noticed her ankle wasn’t healing properly and there was a lot of sensitivity in the leg near and around the broken ankle that was not normal. Her doctor had a hunch it was Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS…a short time later the became progressively worse and the diagnosis…continue reading