Hi Rita
I think it is often harder for the people who have to watch a loved one go through ill-health or pain because they feel helpless. I am sure your partner appreciates you though.

I think you and your partner would get a lot of comfort through more knowledge about CRPS. Have a look at the RSDS.org website which has a lot of good and reliable factual information - there is a lot of not so reliable information out there. It really helps to have knowledge when dealing with this.

I don't know what meds your partner is on but it seems unacceptably defeatist of his doctor to say that if he can't get the pain levels down, he can't go into therapy. 4 months is not long and there are lots of drugs out there that can help but it can take a bit of time and trial and error. What was his original injury to his leg - that may account for some of the muscle loss and lack of flexibility?

The blocks don't work therapeutically for everyone. In the first instance they are done mainly for diagnostic purposes to see what happens to the pain colour, temperature and so on. I had one and it did nothing for the pain unfortunately so it wasn't worth having any more done. If you are fortunate then they can provide some relief but its not something you should "expect". The other thing to bear in mind is that the more wound up and stressed you both become the worse the pain and other symptoms get so it becomes a vicious circle.

Unfortunately, it is when he is up and walking around on the painful leg that he most needs to remove the aircast even though it is painful and makes him feel vulnerable. He also needs to keep the foot and all of the other joints moving. It is the worst thing about this condition that in order to help yourself, you have to do the things that seem the most painful (and which your mind is telling you not to do).

Hope that things improve for you both - I am sure that as time goes on you will both find ways to cope even though it is horribly tough.