Health services should improve the care and diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome, physicians say today.
The Royal College of Physicians has teamed up with 28 other medical organisations to issue new guidelines for treatment of the condition.
The guidelines range from general practice to surgery, neurology and emergency medicine.
They call for more research into the causes of CRPS – and set out four pillars of care that include education, pain relief and physical rehabilitation together with psychological interventions.
Professor Candy McCabe, chair of the CRPS UK clinical and research network, said: “People with CRPS have the potential to benefit greatly from an early diagnosis and prompt initiation of healthcare interventions and rehabilitation.
“However, the lack of knowledge of CRPS within the general public and NHS can delay this care pathway. These guidelines help to raise the profile of CRPS and provide an excellent evidence-based framework to support healthcare professionals in delivering timely and appropriate care.”
Dr Mick Serpell, of the British Pain Society, said: “These revised CRPS Guidelines have distilled and incorporated the most recent published scientific evidence and feedback from clinicians involved in the field of CRPS. They add further clarity to a very confusing condition, and are a very welcome advance for health carers and patients alike.”
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