Gymjunkie, While I agree with most of what you said, you are incorrect to state that they are not doctors. They are doctors of chiropractic just like a dentist is a doctor of dentistry or a psychologist is a doctor of psychology. They are not M.D.'s, but they are doctors nonetheless.

There are 3 primary providers acknowleged in the U.S.: MD's, D.C.'s and D.O.'s. By the way,the D.O.'s in addition to administering standard allopathic care (drug's, etc.) also learn how to and believe in manipulating the spine/joints just like the chiro's and along with scores of studies published now, manipulation as done by a D.O. or D.C. is efficacious in treating certain musculoskeletal conditions, many times with validated quicker or better results than conventional medical care. And if they were so horrible, they wouldn't be the #1 alternative health care provider in the U.S., ahead of accupuncture or homeopathy.

While I just don't think that there is much that a D.C. could do for CRPS, there are citations in the literature (J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2000 Jul;30(7):401-9.Thoracic spine dysfunction in upper extremity complex regional pain syndrome type I.Menck JY, Requejo SM, Kulig K) attesting to the benifit of using spinal manipulation for CRPS, and like I stated before, it probably wouldn't hurt to try a short course to attempt to temporarily help with some of the pain, especially in view of the fact that either not much else helps either or treatment which is available can have serious side-effects.