Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by continuously disabling burning pain. The pain is usually continuous or spontaneous, and hyperpathia and allodynia that are disproportionate to the stimulus are typical of CRPS. The underlying pathophysiology is unknown, and treatment options are limited. CRPS is divided into two different types:
CRPS Type I
Type I CRPS is nonspecific soft-tissue pain without a known nerve injury.
CRPS Type II
Type II CRPS develops as a result of a nerve injury.
Neurosurgical treatment options
A randomized study of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) demonstrated a positive effect in patients with Type I CRPS1, which, however, was no longer statistically significant at the 5-year follow-up[2].
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