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

By Michael J. Cooney, D.C. Clinical Director | Calmare Therapy NJ USA. Originally Titled: Calmare Scrambler Therapy- When Traditional CRPS Medications & Treatments Don't Work 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…
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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…
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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?…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Being Told to Keep My CRPS Quiet

=== By Samantha Barrett Sometimes, people can be downright mean. When awareness is a crucial part of living with CRPS/RSD, what do you do when someone tells you that you should keep quiet about it? I’ve had CRPS for just about 10 years now. I was diagnosed as a pediatric patient. Being a teenager, I got easily irritated when people didn’t know what CRPS/RSD was or why I was still on crutches. People wrote posts on MySpace about me, calling me a faker. I lost a lot of friends because they didn’t understand why I couldn’t go to the movies or have sleepovers. To say I was angry would be an understatement. But I didn’t want to let that anger…
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Long Island and CRPS- RSDSA’s New Walk

By Samantha Barrett, Special Events Coordinator There is a new event coming to the RSDSA community. I have been particularly excited about it since I’ve been working with the three wonderful women from the walk committee for months now. Millie, Debbie, and Beth all live with CRPS. They hadn’t known each other very well until this walk started to get planned. These three women have been working day in and day out to ensure that the Long Island CRPS/RSD Awareness Walk is a success. Every two weeks, we have a giant conference call and I get to hear about everything they have planned for September 10, 2016 in Eisenhower Park. It is an event not to be missed. Because I…
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Matthew’s Story- Hope and Perspective

By Guest Blogger, Matthew When a person is diagnosed with CRPS, often times it can be a confusing, complex time. Read what Matthew has gained from his diagnosis and what he hopes for your future. My name is Matthew. I'm a 19-year-old male from Melbourne, Australia.  I was just recently diagnosed with stage 3 Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, but to most people's surprise, it was an absolute relief. My injury started 5 years ago as a 14-year-old kid playing basketball. I clashed knees with an opposing player, which I had done hundreds of times before- everyone in sport has. All the usual symptoms of that type of injury came on and lasted weeks: swelling, bruising, dull ache, and redness. 4…
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