When I was at a functional rehab center with doctors and PT's who specialize in CRPS what we are told is to only work to "threshold". In otherwords, to the point where you get that inkling if you go more it will begin to hurt, or have other CRPS symptoms. Pay close attention to yourself when you are exercising. Exercise is important, but only to the threshold, not to tolerance, or through the pain. That applies to people with other problems, not us.

And since we all know that CRPS can have delayed sympoms, if you realize that what you did was too much because it caused flare later that day, then you need to do less of that next time. Because causing flares is bad, it only reinforces the pain pathways, which is not what you want to be doing.

Aqua therapy can be good, but only if your affected body part is tolerant to the water. I can only tolerate immersion for a brief period of time for my foot, so the one time I tried getting into a pool for 5 or 10 mins I really paid for it the next day.

As far as spread. I had minor spread to my left foot. It took a long time (several weeks) to be sure. I KNEW when it began to turn that lobster red color and become hot to the touch in that zone only. My pain doc at that point ordered an immediate sympathetic nerve block, and it worked and shut down that spread completely. The key there being it was done right away so it couldn't then go farther in my foot. I had just noticed it moving a bit farther in my foot.

There had been other times I "thought" I might be having spread. But I didn't have those key symptoms. The serious burn. The bright red/super hot to the touch compared to surrounding area.