Is Chronic Pain Syndrome the same as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome?

[Eggcustard]

I have been diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome and fibro today. I have tried to look up CPS on the NHS website and it comes back with CRPS. Does anyone know if they are the same thing please? I rang the hospital and the nurse says she doesn't know and I wasn't even given a leaflet to take away with me. Any help appreciated, thanks.

[Bananas5]

Hello Eggcustard Love the name!

Firstly do you jave a reason for your chronic pain? Back injury? Badly broken bone? Something in your

Most people who suffer chronic pain syndrome have no diagnosis as to why they are in pain. If like us you know i helps a biy in treatment.

CRPS is usually one specific area of pain. Ankle, knee, etc. Someone might have had a bad sprained ankle some years earlier and now is unbearably painful. I have heard of people wanting to amputate their own limbs it is that bad.

Oh yes and chronic pain is usually all over your body.

No someone will tell me I have it completely wrong! Concentrate on hw you can help ypurself. Plenty of leaflets on yhe positive.

Hope this helps

Pat x

past?

[Eggcustard in reply to Bananas5]

Thanks for replying, I have had years of gynae problems ( endo, dermoid cyst etc), 5 ops and was diagnosed as having genito femoral nerve damage 2 years ago. After seeing the rheumatologist he says I now have fibro also ( on to of IBS, migraines, severe menopause due to hysterectomy). It just seems to be one thing after another. Having looked online I think chronic pain syndrome is an old fashioned term which includes fibro and chronic fatigue. Now I don't know if the nerve pain diagnosis still stands ( I assume so as that started 18 months before the rest of the problems). I have had fibro,symptoms for nearly 2 years but it has only just been diagnosed. Still trying to make sense of it all at the moment, I do appreciate you taking time to reply though x

[Bananas5 in reply to Eggcustard]

My question o you know the source of your pain sounds a bit limp mow!

Whatever they want to call your condition seems less important than getting treatment for it.Sounds horrendous.

I had a very early change of lige starting at 36 and the Docs tried all sorts of potions. Periods were a complete nightmare. Eventually I had a hysterectomy and there followed 2 years of hell. But still here just a bit older but less wiser!

Concentrate ion treatment pain relief now.

Good Luck

Pat x

[Hidden in reply to Bananas5]

Paton

CRPS is rarely confined to one part of the body. Studies show it spreads in 77% of sufferers and in 10% goes full body, all 4 limbs, torso. neck, scalp, eyes, mouth and internal organs

[Bananas5 in reply to Hidden]

I thought the R meant Regional?

Meant it was confined to one specofoc area? It is spreads all over the body that is chronic pain with the cause or source known?

Pat x

[Hidden in reply to Bananas5]

don't know why they call it regional, the previous name for it was the same, Regional Sympathetic Dystrophy however all the name that came before did not have regional in them. I guess because it starts in one specific region.

[earthwitch]

In very non-medical terms, CRPS is a specific syndrome where following an injury, the nerves in that area get incredibly irritated. Its almost always limited to a specific area around where the injury was. You can have chronic pain and not have CRPS. "Chronic pain" is pain that goes on for more than 3 months, but there is usually a reason for it - either some kind of disease process (like arthritis) or some kind of injury. Fibromyalgia can also cause chronic pain. I don't really know what your doctor meant by chronic pain syndrome but I do think that sometimes doctors use those terms as a bit of a throwaway diagnosis - they don't know what is going on, feel like they have done enough investigation or examination, and then just stick the chronic pain label on and send you back to your GP. You can do something about chronic pain though, but you might need to talk with your GP first about what the hospital recommended (once your GP gets their report)- and then perhaps about seeing a pain specialist, or a pain clinic or even a physio - as they can often be really helpful in showing you better positions to sleep in, relaxation techniques, and gentle exercises (which can help increase your natural pain killing chemicals).

[Eggcustard in reply to earthwitch]

Thanks for replying, having looked things up a bit more I think he used the term chronic pain syndrome as it covers fibro and chronic fatigue ( I think it's quite an old fashioned term, looking it up on line the results are mostly from the late 80's). I have had,lots of health problems and chronic pain for over 3 years now. I seem to have lots of things going on at the same time and I am only just picking them all apart to get them all diagnosed. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I am already under a pain clinic and have been for 2 years but they didn't pick up on the fibro even though it has got to the point where I can't walk properly and basically have no life. The pain consultant made it quite clear he thinks I am exaggerating my problems and should be able to just get on with things! (Oh what a lovely helpful man he is, just what you need to hear after waiting months for an appointment) I am looking for a good pain specialist at the moment who hopefully understands fibro more. Thanks.

[Hidden]

No CRPS is a lot worse, in fact it is the Worlds Most Painful Condition

Chronic pain syndrome

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Chronic pain syndrome

eMedicine

article/310834

Chronic Pain Syndrome (CPS) is a common problem that is a major challenge to health-care providers because of its complex nature of poor etiology and poor response to therapy. Most consider ongoing pain of 3~6 months are diagnostic. A person may have two or more co-existing pain conditions or widespread generalized pain. This condition is managed best with a multidisciplinary approach.

Although CPS has been known to resolve completely with (and very rarely without) treatment, it is uncommon for full relief to be achieved. Therefore, patients should be encouraged to develop realistic goals for their pain treatment. Medications, surgeries, and alternative medicine treatments can reduce pain although their effectiveness varies by the patient and some may provide no relief at all to certain individuals. Occasionally CPS may become increasingly more painful over time regardless of attempted treatments. The prognosis is best for patients who begin pain treatment within 6 months of the onset of symptoms, after which the chance of remission plateaus at a very low level.

Atypical chronic pain syndrome is characterized by patients who will present to dermatologists with complaints of burning, pain, or dysesthesias in the skin or mucous membranes for which no identifiable pathology can be found.[1]:393

Contents [hide]

1 Treatment 1.1 Medications

1.2 Non-pharmacological treatments

1.3 Surgery

1.4 Psychotherapy

2 Epidemiology

3 See also

4 References

Treatment[edit]

Medications[edit]

Unlike pain due to acute physical injury, CPS pain is generally not well controlled by opioids alone, and shows nearly no response to anti-inflammatory agents. SSRIs, SNRIs, and NMDA antagonists combined with an opioid medication provide more significant relief, dual-acting opioids such as tramadol and tapentadol combine these mechanisms in one medicine and are therefor frequently used (off-label) in CPS treatment.

Non-pharmacological treatments[edit]

Patients are encouraged to try alternative treatments alongside (or in the place of) medication in order to obtain better relief. Desensitization physical therapy is often prescribed by the pain management physician and may provide significant relief if the patient does the exercises as recommended. Acupuncture, hypnosis, and meditation have been demonstrated to provide significant relief

[Eggcustard in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the info, it just goes to show that even when you think things are pretty crap there is always someone worse off, thank heavens I don't have CRPS, sounds awful, thanks again.

[Calceolaria in reply to Hidden]

Kevlar, thanks, that was interesting and I learned something. I thought the prescribed exercises, which take about 40 minutes daily to do, were simply for strengthening and flexibility. The desensitising you mention has sent me back to my exercises and further research.

Apologies, I am unable to correct on this website - Kevscar.

[Hidden in reply to Calceolaria]

Hey I was a police officer I've been called a lot worse than a piece of body armour.

[Calceolaria in reply to Hidden]

Ditto with me previous line of work!

[welshnut]

CRPS stand for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome not Chronic

[waylay]

My pain consultant told me that chronic pain syndrome is another name for Central Sensitization: painscience.com/articles/ce...

[Auntkaka]

I have Complex regional pain syndrome for over 10 years it started in my right foot and ankle it has spread up the right leg to the hipand left foot and ankle up to the knee my feet and ankles swell so severely that my feet cannot bend at the ankle so I either walk on my toes or crawl there on fire 24 hrs 7 days a week now because of it I have restless leg syndrome which makes it worse I have an implanted stimulator which only takes the edge off. I now understand why the doctors named it the suicide disease.