There are many options to try if someone is living with the extremely painful complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). What might work for one person may not work for another, so there may have to be a period of trying different methods before one may help relieve the pain.
Treatment isn’t aimed at the syndrome, because their no cure for it yet, so treatment is aimed at relieving pain. Usually, the first thing tried are medications – either in pill form or topical, creams and ointment. As with many types of chronic pain, some people find relief with certain types of antidepressants – there is something in the make up of the antidepressants that works on the pain transmitters. Other medications are cortiocosteroids or stronger narcotic (controlled) medications. Your doctor may suggest physiotherapy to help keep the limb moving. If the pain is severe, the doctor may suggest a treatment called a sympathetic nerve block, which involves injecting and anesthetic (numbing) medication into the nerve that feeds the painful area or even a special catheter or tube that is inserted into your spine to inject pain reliever.