Originally Posted by LIT LOVE

Harry,

Please read these 2 links:
http://www.rsdhope.org/pain-index--crps-mechanism.html
http://www.rsdhope.org/how-is-crps-diagnosed.html

"What does the Doctor look for? Not all patients will have the symptoms listed below at every stage of the disease, especially early on, but the physican should be alerted to:

1.Pain that exists long after the injury has healed.
2.Pain that is out of proportion to the injury sustained (these are two hallmarks of the disease that Doctors look for).
3.Changes to the skin; color/texture, dryness, tightness, redness, skin rashes, possible sores, as well as an increase or decrease in sweating.
4.The presence of a constant chronic burning pain. While there are some cases where there is no burning pain, it is rare.
5.Spasms of the blood vessels and muscles.
6.The existence of a prior injury that could have damaged a nerve.
7.Use of casting, surgery difficulties, injury subsequent to the original incident.
8.Lastly, they need to look for symptoms that the patient might not realize are significant and need to be shared with the doctor. These are changes that occur in the limbic system that cause:
• short-term memory loss
• difficulty concentrating
• insomnia
• difficulty finding the right word when speaking
• sensitivity to sound, vibration, smell, barometric pressure changes, and touch
• depression"

Because CRPS is devastating, and because prompt and aggressive treatment is the best chance for remission, it has been questioned whether docs are over diagnosing CRPS. I remember coming across something claiming JHU claiming 70% of patients were misdiagnosed. (We've had posters a few years ago here on NT that felt their diagnoses were unfairly questioned at John Hopkins Pain Clinic and they went on to receive better care with Schwartzman though, so...)

The most important diagnostic criteria for diagnosing CRPS seems to consistently been severe, continual pain out of proportion to/or without any injury. Without that, I don't believe any reputable CRPS specialist will diagnose you as having the syndrome. You can absolutely have some type of neuropathic issue that is serious and needs urgent attention, but it isn't likely to be CRPS.