The Result of Combination of Medical and Physical Therapy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Abstract

Objective: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is distinguished from other chronic pain conditions with the existence of indications presenting inflammatory and autonomic changes in the painful area. The treatment contains a multidisciplinary approach covering a combination of pharmacological, physical, occupational, and psychological therapies. Therefore, the purpose of the trial is to evaluate the impact of combination of medical and physical therapy on the recovery process in patients with CRPS Type 1. Material and Methods: Seventy five patients (40 female, 35 male) with CRPS Type 1 were retrospectively collected. All patients were treated with medical and physical therapy. The state of health (very good, good, moderate, bad, very bad) and visual analog scale (VAS) before the treatments, 1 and 3 months after the treatments were collected from medical records. Results: In the study, the average age of patients was 54.47±11.30 years. VAS scores in the baseline, 1 and 3 months after the treatments were 8.59±0.50, 0.49±0.50, and 0.49±0.50, respectively. VAS in 1 and 3 months following the therapies statistically significantly reduced according to baseline (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in health status 3 months after treatment compared to baseline (p<0.001). Conclusion: More targeted therapies should be determined in terms of the pathophysiology behind CRPS. Because of the complex pathological mechanism and often debilitating course and treatment-resistant nature of CRPS, a multidisciplinary approach may provide better results. Moreover, early and appropriate treatment can help resolve the syndrome and prevent prolonged pain, loss of function, and disability.