Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Complex regional pain syndrome is persistent, disproportionate pain in a limb, usually following an injury or surgery — and sometimes after an injury minor enough that the pain makes no obvious sense. At Modern Physio we focus on understanding the root-cause of your problem & personalizing your treatment for lasting results.
Understanding Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Complex regional pain syndrome is persistent, disproportionate pain in a limb, usually following an injury or surgery — and sometimes after an injury minor enough that the pain makes no obvious sense. Alongside the pain there are changes in the limb itself: altered skin colour or temperature, swelling, sweating, and often extreme sensitivity to light touch. It is uncommon but important to recognise, because outcomes are generally better when movement and desensitisation begin early rather than after months of protecting the limb. At Modern Physio in Jaipur, CRPS is treated with a graded, tolerance-led approach, in coordination with the doctor managing your medical care.
Common Symptoms
- Burning or aching pain out of proportion to the original injury
- Extreme sensitivity, where light touch or clothing is painful
- Changes in skin colour — redder, paler or blotchy compared with the other side
- Difference in skin temperature between the affected limb and the other one
- Swelling of the affected hand, foot or limb
- Changes in sweating, nail or hair growth on the limb
- Stiffness and reduced movement in nearby joints
- Reluctance to use or even look at the limb
How Common Is It?
CRPS is uncommon relative to other causes of limb pain, and affects the arm or leg most often after fracture or surgery. Its importance is out of proportion to how often it occurs, because delayed recognition tends to mean a longer and harder recovery.
Causes & Risk Factors
- Onset after a fracture, sprain or crush injury — the most common trigger
- Onset after surgery on the limb
- Prolonged immobilisation in a cast or sling
- Occasionally, onset after a minor injury or with no identifiable trigger
- Altered processing of pain and of the limb itself within the nervous system
Our Diagnosis Process
- Careful history of the original injury and how the pain has behaved since
- Side-to-side comparison of colour, temperature, swelling and sweating
- Testing sensitivity to light touch and pressure
- Assessment of movement, and of how willing you are to move and use the limb
- Prompt referral where a medical diagnosis or medication review is needed — CRPS management is shared, not physiotherapy alone
Our Treatment Approach
- Desensitisation: graded exposure to touch and texture, starting with what is tolerable and building from there
- Early, gentle movement within tolerance to prevent the stiffness that follows from protecting the limb
- Graded motor imagery approaches where indicated, working on how the brain represents the limb
- Progressive loading and return to using the limb for ordinary tasks
- Close coordination with the treating doctor, since medication is often part of management
- Pacing and education, because fear of provoking pain is itself a driver of disuse
Recovery & Prevention Tips
- Use the limb for something every day, even minimally — disuse reliably makes CRPS harder to treat
- Do desensitisation little and often rather than in long sessions
- Keep the joints above and below moving, even when the painful area cannot be loaded
- Report new or worsening changes in colour, temperature or swelling to your doctor promptly
- Progress by tolerance, not by calendar — comparison with someone else's recovery is not useful here
Products That Can Help
Supports and equipment we fit at the clinic that patients with this condition commonly use alongside treatment — never instead of it.
Evidence & Sources
CRPS causes persistent burning pain with changes in skin colour, temperature and swelling, usually after an injury, and physiotherapy to keep the limb moving is a core part of management.
NHS — Complex regional pain syndromeFrequently Asked Questions
Why does my pain seem out of proportion to the injury?
That is characteristic of CRPS rather than a sign you are exaggerating. The nervous system's processing of the limb has changed, so pain no longer tracks tissue damage. Understanding that is genuinely part of treatment, because it changes what the pain means and how you respond to it.
Should I rest the limb until the pain settles?
Generally no, and this is the single most important thing to get right. Protecting the limb tends to increase stiffness, sensitivity and disuse. Treatment works within tolerance rather than through pain, but it does keep the limb in use.
Is CRPS permanent?
It varies considerably between people, and honest answers here are individual rather than general. Many people improve substantially, particularly when treatment starts early. Nobody can responsibly promise you a specific outcome or timeline at the first visit.
Do I need to see a doctor as well?
Yes. CRPS is managed jointly — medication and medical review are often part of the picture. Dr. Surabhi Bansal is a physiotherapist, not a physician: the clinic does not prescribe medication and has no imaging on site. Where medication review, investigation or a specialist opinion is the right next step, you will be told so and referred.
Will treatment hurt?
It is designed not to. Desensitisation and graded movement start at a level you can tolerate and progress from there. Sharp increases in pain after a session mean the level was set too high, and the plan gets adjusted rather than pushed through.
Medically Reviewed
This content was reviewed for medical accuracy by Dr. Surabhi Bansal, BPT, MPT (Ortho) with 14+ years of clinical experience.
At Modern Physio, all medical content undergoes a thorough review process to ensure accuracy and alignment with current physiotherapy standards. Our content is created to educate and should not replace professional medical advice. Learn more about our review process.
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