Complex regional pain syndrome of the upper extremity: a narrative review

Andrzej Żyluk, Nadine Hollevoet

Abstract


Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a condition for which diagnosis and treatment are not unequivocally attributed to a particular medical speciality. This article presents a set of updated information about this condition, including the specific subtypes of CRPS, which differ from each other with respect to symptomatology, susceptibility to treatment, and prognosis. A new subtype called “chronic, refractory complex regional pain syndrome”, which is extremely severe, disabling, and resistant to standard treatments, is proposed. The article also emphasizes the difficulties in diagnosing the condition due to its variable clinical presentation and vague, imprecise diagnostic criteria. A review of treatments is presented, with commentary on their effectiveness: good in the early stage, less effective in the chronic stage, and generally poor in the chronic, refractory variant.

Keywords


complex regional pain syndrome; pathophysiology; classification; diagnostic criteria; treatment

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21164/pomjlifesci.1154

Copyright (c) 2025 Andrzej Żyluk, Nadine Hollevoet

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