Greetings,

A couple of you on this forums have been gracious enough to give suggestions, motivation and advice in the past so i'm hoping for more of the same.

I included a brief history of my symptoms and history in another post. Sense that time the only difference is that I have even less symptoms. I'll update my status in the last week and a half:

* redness maybe once in that last three days
* no tingling or throbbing
* only slight pain at night usually local to the hurt toe.

I have been exercising and walking regularly without pain. I have been doing therapy on the toes and have made progress towards better ROM.

The only bad news is that my sleep been slightly more fragmented, but i was ably to control this. Though, even after controlling it, i still feel more "groggy" then normal. Maybe anxiety, lidocane patches or Vitamin C, which are all new.

Additionally, I get tiny muscle twitches in the foot, but not near the previously broken toe. Their not painful, or prolonged. They feel like the ones you get in a muscle after exercising. Or like a light throb. I only get them while resting my feet. Maybe like 1 every minutes.

I also have been measuring the temperature in the two feet for the last week using a HDE temperature gun with infrared sensor. I have noticed the foot with suspected CRPS is usually 2 degrees warmer.

For instance my L foot is 23.4 and my right is 25.5 (possible CRPS) at the moment. But i have taken over 30 readings and it's usually warmer.

Several kind souls have suggested i might not have CRPS, i presume because my symptoms are so mild: no sensitivity ever, no burning (only warmth), osteoporosis, not full ROM plantar flexing in toes, sight muscle twitch, +2 degrees in injured foot, healing leading up to nerve block in foot, no inordinate pain.

My question is if anyone has any ideas on what my condition could be if not CRPS?

Thanks again for any advice or suggestions.

"The normal healing process" after a fracture or even a sprain.

HD- Again - your attention to detail is phenomenal. It will serve you much better once you fully heal up and completely forget about this.

I, for one, do feel slightly "used" for your motivational purposes, but I'm fine with that.

You mentioned in an earlier post that you have seen multiple doctors.

Have any of them given you their professional opinions of an actual diagnosis for you?

Yes birchlake,

9/3/2014 ~ second visit to Dr. M ~ he suggested it might be rsd/nerve damage/etc... he ordered a bone scan at ----- hospital.

9/13/2014 ~ dr. E at utmc diagnosed with CRPS and I have a nerve block done in right foot. I believe 3 shots of in the postival nerve of steroid kenalog - 10. hcl 1 percent. Before nerve block i feel only a level 1 pain, no pain from any part of the foot being touched. It should be noted that this was in the morning and the mornings are generally a little bit better then at night.

9/17/2014 ~ See dr. A at utmc. Dr.A is a CRPS specialist. Dr. A remarks that “you don’t have the symptoms of CRPS, but i'm not sure what else it could be". He suggests two weeks of a lidocaine 5 percent.patches to be worn for 12 hours to reduce pain. He also remarked that the right foot (trauma foot) was colder, which was interesting because it has always felt warmer to me. Though i didn’t test it at the same time. In retrospect the foot has felt less hot sense the nerve block.

9/18/2014 ~ Dr C diagnosed wtih CRPS type 1. Dr. C is a CRPS specialist Recommended Lumber nerve block and Gabapentin.

My understanding is that CRPS is hard to diagnosis, but that in many cases it's by ruling out other possibilities. That's why i'm trying to figure out what else it could be. For one, because i want it to be something else. Secondly because if it's not then i need to treat what ever that is.

I see dr. A on 10/1/2014 for a follow up. My expectation is that he too will diagnosis it as CRPS.

Hi HD, "
Not to sound a bit off here but you need to look at it as "It is what it is" and let the docs do their thing.
It may or may not be CRPS. If it is, then good to know so it can be treated. If it's not, even better. But dxing a problem is best left up to the experts. Just be sure they're experts!
That's my humble opinion...

Hi there, I suggest that you use that limb as normally as possible.. if it is CRPS, or even suspected then the first line of defense should be large doses of vitamin C daily AND exercise.. walk normally try not to limp, look into using a pool a few times a week if possible and just walk around in the water as well.
There is warm CRPS caused by C fiber injury.. sometimes called called erythromelalgia or ABC (angry backfiring C nociceptors) syndrome.. It is very similar to classic CRPS except it can sometimes be milder, also cool water or a cool cloth might temporarily help the pain and heat disapate for a bit... DO NOT USE ICE though it may help it feel better it will make it far worse.. I suggest you research ABC syndrome and take your research into your doctors, and best of luck to you.

be well,
_ Sandel

Hi. I was a pointe ballerina, so I have had many broken toes. Each one felt slightly different and healed differently. Some took longer, some were more painful. But my experience with broken toes is not going to be the same as yours, every body is very different. But I would like to still share some things I learned to see if it doesn't offer you any reassurance.
First, the broken toe will atrophy. Sometimes not all the muscles, but some will. Uneven muscle strength in a body part can result in something very similar to crps until all the muscles are back to their strength.
Again with uneven muscles, the structure of the toe can be compromised. With some muscle that usually hold things in a place being weak, this can result in nerve pain. The tingling, stinging or over stimulated feelings can be incredibly uncomfortable
And thirdly, the whole toe is affected by the break, think of it as a broken toe, not just a broken bone. Doing things on a broken body part will upset it and make it swell and can result in some pretty horrible aches and pains on your down time.
I suggest some ibuprofen and some ice. Not too much of either though. And maybe keeping a journal on your recovery, because like I said, if not all muscles are back to their strength it can result in chronic pain until they are entirely strong.
I hope this was helpful. Feel free to ask me any questions. And be happy.