Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic (lasting greater than six months) pain condition, usually in the arm, leg, hand, or foot. It usually happens after an injury. CRPS is believed to be caused by damage to, or the malfunction of, the peripheral and central nervous systems. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system involves nerve signaling from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Rest and time may only make it worse.
Individuals with CRPS face many challenges. This condition is often misdiagnosed and expert treatment can be hard to find.
An experienced, interdisciplinary care team works with each patient and family to manage a child's pain by promoting healthy daily functioning and pain coping skills using an interdisciplinary rehabilitation model. Our team includes:
- Pediatric pain fellowship-trained physician
- Child psychiatrists
- Pediatricians
- Pediatric rehabilitation physicians
- Pediatric psychologists/cognitive behavioral therapists
- Physical therapists
- Neuropsychologists
- Occupational therapists
- Social workers
- Care coordinators
- Case managers
- Educators
- Child life specialists
- Nurses/nurse practitioners
- Therapeutic recreation specialists
We offer a multimodal approach to pain management that includes:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (e.g. deep controlled diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, interactive distraction, guided visual imagery, cognitive restructuring, biofeedback, mindfulness, meditation)
- Physical Therapy (functional, manual and visceral therapies, heat/cold)
- Occupational therapy (activities of daily living)
- Non-narcotic pain medications
- Interventional pain procedures under sedation
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- Other novel and emerging treatment modalities for pain management
As one of the few hospitals in the country to offer interventional pain services for children guided by imaging in an operating room, we offer the following procedures:
- Epidural steroid injections
- Facet joint injections
- Sacroiliac joint injections
- Piriformis injections
- Muscle and joint injections
- Occipital nerve blocks
- Abdominal blocks (e.g., transverse abdominis plane [TAP] and rectus sheath blocks)
- Intercostal nerve blocks
- Sternum injections
- Bursa injections
- Scar injections
- Peripheral nerve blocks
- Trigger point injections