title: Complex [corrected] regional pain syndrome: what specialized rehabilitation services do patients require?
abstract: Complex [corrected] regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a complex disorder, the optimal treatment of which requires an interdisciplinary approach encompassing medical, interventional, psychological, and rehabilitation services that emphasize the role of physical and occupational therapies. The central focus of treatment is the restoration of function, utilizing a systematic, coordinated, and progressive set of therapeutic strategies. The poorly delineated pathophysiology and variable course of CRPS suggest that individualized strategies are required for optimal management, but also mean that carefully controlled trials of physiotherapy are difficult to conduct. This article presents a brief review of the nature and pathophysiology of CRPS, the medical and psychological approaches that have been found to be effective, and a review of the current trends in rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: I Elias
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Veizi
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chelimsky
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Janata
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D020918:Complex Regional Pain Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic