Pain descriptors
 

Hey AB,

My pain often starts as a feeling of stinging (obviously nerve) but also sometimes starts like a "reverse crush". It's like there is this sudden internal pressure like something is filling up the tissue. I have a couple hotspot areas for this kind of feeling, similar to a swelling feeling but it starts so acutely! If I have done something to set it off, too hot of a bath, walk too much in warm or even not so warm weather, I can tell you exactly where the nerve track is. It is defintely intense pressure and feels 3 dimensional if you will, not shooting or stabbing. Sometimes I feel like my nerves just can't manage any tissue flux at all without freaking out. On your lateral foot/ankle pain though - do you think it's from compensation from your gait? My foot has had to make a lot of adaptations to the structural changes and I have had different aches and pains come and go till it settled.

Littlepaw

According to the Budapest Criteria you need to be suffering from 3 of the 4 main symptoms here,

http://www.rsdhope.org/crps-symptoms.html

While you can certainly have those types of pain and have RSD/CRPS, what you describe would not be unusual for other problems as well.

YES!!!


FOUR Main Symptoms/Criteria for a diagnosis of CRPS:
Chronic burning pain - includes allodynia; extreme sensitivity to touch, sound, vibration, wind, and temperature. Check
Inflammation - this can affect the appearance of the skin; bruising, mottling, shiny appearance, blotchy or pale appearance, and tiny red dots are some examples. Check
Spasms - in blood vessels and muscles of the extremities, called vasoconstriction, I assume this is what causes the 1-3 degree temperature difference between both feet
Insomnia/Emotional Disturbance - (including limbic system changes such as short-term memory problems, concentration difficulties, and irritability). Check

I have several different types of pain, but they pale in comparison to my burning pain to such a degree they often doesn't feel worth mentioning.

The description of severe burning pain seems to often be one the main alerts to doctors of the possibility of RSD/CRPS.

Must say; this is the first time I looked into CRPS/RSD and "yes" would not be unusual for other problems as well. I felt the spine/fusion/laminectomy; eventually doctor referred to my burning ankles and leg pain; discoloration, edema, etc. as the extenuating pain elsewhere as PN.

So I assumed my burning pain; especially ankles/ feet; but pain extends down groin/ legs; especially the left which ankle has the worse discoloration/edema. Painful wrists/fingers as arthritis, on and on.

Reading the American RSD Hope (also printed it) is really an eyeopener. Memory; oh my gosh. I was just described including the irritability, etc.

Something to think about for sure....


Gerry

PN can certainly have burning pain as well. My understanding is that the nerve dysfunction is localized with PN, with RSD/CRPS the limbic system is in play and may or may not have local nerve dysfunction as well.

Neuropathy caused by diabetes is an example of another disorder that is misdiagnosed as RSD/CRPS.

While I was 99% sure that I had been diagnosed correctly, it wasn't until I start experiencing mirroring and spread that I truly accepted it.

I have described the pain to the doc as a lava flow that starts as a pool at my shoulder and moves down to my hand, depending on how bad I ticked it off. The shoulder and arm always burn, but it turns to lava when angry. The normal burning, funny how the burn is even remotely considered normal, is usually accompanied with a feeling of pressure, like a constant band around the area. The doc kind of looks at me funny when I explain it, but I think it is a fitting description. :)

:hug: