Gosh, I am so sorry that this was caused by an intruder - that must have been extremely scary! You are brave to have fought him/her off.

So just to clarify regarding MRI's - MRI's don't really show nerves well enough to the untrained eye. MRNeurography use a different machine and the physician viewing the study are trained specifically for lesions involving even the smallest of peripheral nerves. Most doctors won't order an MRN but, it is worth getting if you are contemplating surgery.

It is said in numerous studies that there is 'spread' and then there is referred pain which can be confusing to both the patient and the physician in CRPS. I wonder if perhaps your left foot is experiencing referred pain rather than true spread? If that is the case then perhaps you may benefit from surgical decompression but only you can make that decision. It is such a difficult call to make.. Once you get the nerve block specifically to that nerve I am sure you and your doctor have more information to base that decision on.

Personally, I wouldn't stop your exercise routine as long as it isn't causing you a large increase in pain, that won't settle after resting. Figuring out your baseline will be helpful in determining how much you can push yourself. Movement is good for mobility, mind, spirit and pain coping. So much of fighting CRPS is mental so if you are able to continue to do what you already love then why stop? You will aggravate the symptoms but you won't cause further injury to the nerve by doing so. The reason people caution being aggressive with PT is that the PT itself will not 'cure' the problem and if it is miserable or agonizing for the patient then why torture them with continuous therapy that isn't going to cure it? However, in your situation if it is making you feel better while doing it and you can get a handle on your pain afterwards then by all means don't stop - in the long run it surely will help you mentally and physically. The added bonus is that this will help you sleep better, which is greatly needed for healing and recovery and something that is almost always affected with chronic pain.

Since you love crossfit/athletics and seem to be a determined type of person - determine yourself not to become a CRPS statistic, but instead be one of the small percentage of people who can continue as much of their normal life as possible for as long as possible. Having that king of attitude will carry you through many challenging days.

A great book to get your hands on is "Holistic Pain Relief' by Heather Tick, MD.

Take good care and let us know how your block goes,
Tessa