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Burning Nights CRPS Support is a UK charity dedicated to raising awareness and supporting anyone affected by the chronic pain condition, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).
We have written a number of CRPS blog articles and chronic pain blogs over the last 12 months and has updated a few older articles. This article gives you the top 12 CRPS and Chronic Pain articles you need to read from Burning Nights CRPS Support.
Even though we are a charity dedicated to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), we have written many articles about both CRPS and chronic pain, as on many occasions what can help chronic pain patients can very often assist complex regional pain syndrome patients.
You can find articles on various topics concerning living with CRPS and chronic pain such as alternative therapies, psychological therapies, pain management options, self management articles and more.
Our top 12 articles on CRPS and chronic pain that we’ve written and updated over the last 12 months are as follows:
Most if not all complex regional pain syndrome patients will have at some or many points throughout their condition an acute flare up of their symptoms especially their pain levels.
An acute flare up is where a CRPS patient or other chronic pain patients will experience a spike or an increase in their pain and other symptoms. One point that patients need to try and remember is that flare ups will end; they are only a temporary spike in their pain levels and/or symptoms.
CRPS flare ups can be caused by any number of different reasons. This article discusses all about CRPS Flare Ups, also known as CRPS Flares, as well as 5 common myths of CRPS Flare Ups and ways of self managing your pain during flare ups.
Graded Motor Imagery or GMI is just one of a range of CRPS management options that have been included in the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) guidelines from the Royal College of Physicians in the UK.
Graded Motor Imagery is an approach used for the rehabilitation of patients with chronic pain; it aims to activate the cortical networks involved in sensory-motor processing.
This article is a complete guide to Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome management. The article gives the stages of GMI, how it was developed, the goals of each stage and how GMI can help CRPS.
3. Complete Guide To Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation Treatment For CRPS
DRG stimulation is a form of neuromodulation therapy, which works in the Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) area of the spine and it has been proven extremely effective for the treatment of CRPS.
DRG stimulation functions along the same idea as the traditional spinal cord stimulation or SCS. With the SCS you have a small device implanted along the spinal cord to produce electrical pulses to the nerves. It is these electrical pulses that stop your CRPS pain signals and swap them with a mild tingling feeling or sensation.
In this article you will find information about the DRG stimulation, how it works, where it’s implanted and more.
If you’re interested in learning more about DRG stimulation please consider either downloading for free od purchase our 24 page DRG stimulation for CRPS booklet.
Mirror therapy as a management option for CRPS has various titles including mirror imagery, mirror therapy, mirror visual feedback, imagery therapy or mirror image therapy.
The idea behind mirror therapy is to try and ‘trick’ or retrain your brain into thinking you are moving your limb or digit; foot, leg, arm, hand, fingers, toes without pain and freely.
Mirror Therapy is a non invasive, completely drug free alternative therapy to help you and your CRPS, phantom limb pain or chronic neuropathic pain. This blog article is a quick guide on how to use Mirror Therapy for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Desensitisation Techniques for CRPS/RSD
Using desensitisation techniques or tactile discrimination as part of your CRPS management routine or chronic pain treatment is something that doctors, pain specialists and physios like you to try, especially in the early part of your diagnosis and CRPS treatment.
Desensitisation is a non-invasive pain management technique and is an alternative therapy. You can also use these techniques as a self management tool.
However you must remember that desensitisation must be used in conjunction with your other pain management techniques and treatments, and that desensitisation isn’t going to cure your CRPS. Instead the desensitisation techniques are to be used to reduce your skin sensitivities such as allodynia and hyperalgesia.
The ‘How To Use Desensitisation For CRPS’ article gives you information about what desensitisation is, how it works as well as a brief guide on how to use the desensitisation techniques as part of your pain management.
Amputation for complex regional pain syndrome is extremely controversial and is something that is not a treatment or a cure for the condition.
You may have seen several cases of amputation for CRPS in the newspapers or online, please note that not everyone will respond to amputation in the same way.
However the amputation for CRPS blog article intends to give you both sides of this very controversial argument, to allow you to decide for yourself.
Amputation for complex regional pain syndrome has now been included in the Royal College of Physicians CRPS Guidelines 2018. However there are a number of guidelines and recommendations that you need to follow in order to be accepted for an amputation.
Using a chronic pain diary or CRPS pain diary can be a very useful tool not only for you but also for your doctor to look at, so he/she can see any recurring pattern that may exist.
When going to see the doctor, why not take your filled in and used chronic pain diary with you and show them. The doctor then will be able to make an informed decision about medication changes, extra advice or support that you may need either physically, emotionally or psychologically and even evaluate any new problems that may be emerging.
This article gives you a pain diary template for CRPS and chronic pain to download to your computer or to print out and use.
The traditional form of Acupuncture is where very fine, sterile needles are inserted into the person’s skin at certain and precise points on the body.
These points are called ‘Acupuncture Points’ or also ‘Acupoints’ and the lines or areas they are located in are called ‘Meridians.’ The needles are also inserted at varying depths.
This beginners guide to acupuncture for CRPS and chronic pain explains about acupuncture including what it is, the types and size of needles used, how it works, the different forms of acupuncture as well as what happens in an acupuncture session, how to prepare for the session to get the most out of it and what happens after the acupuncture session.
18 Tips Preparing You for your Pain Management Appointment
Often just knowing that you’ve got to see the doctor can sometimes seem give you the stomach ‘butterflies. There’s a lot of information that you’ll have to provide to the Doctor and listen to and to try and process as well as already living with a condition you may not know anything about; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
This can mean that you’re not always at the top of your game. Many patients can have ‘brain fog’ as soon as they go into a pain management appointment which can mean that you forget what you really needed to have said to the doctor.
This chronic pain blog on 18 tips preparing you for your pain management appointment will hopefully help you get the most out of your pain clinic appointment for your future care and treatment.
Also we hope the article will also provide you with some sense of comfort knowing you’ve done everything you possibly can to get across everything that you needed to and you receive sufficient information from the doctor at your pain appointment.
When you live with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, chronic pain or another chronic illness you may want to travel. However travelling with a chronic condition can very often be a terrifying or daunting experience.
This blog article on the 10 tips you need to know when travelling with CRPS or chronic pain will help you to focus on the things you need to purchase in advance, the questions you need to be asking for your accommodation and travel, the different types of travel insurance or even what you need to take with you when you travel.
So when you next look at travelling with your CRPS or chronic pain you’ll be able to travel with less anxiety and stress because you’ll have our blog article 10 tips to help you focus and get the most out of your trip.
Whether you are a newly diagnosed CRPS patient or someone who has had CRPS for a long time, knowing how to cope with your chronic condition is important.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a very challenging and complex condition in that as it is an invisible illness many people are unaware of it when they first see you.
This can often make things very difficult when you are trying to tell people that you have been diagnosed with a long term condition or you are trying to explain about the condition.
This article gives you 10 tips to help you learn to cope with CRPS and chronic pain including finding a local support group, learning to accept your CRPS or chronic pain and biofeedback. What are your tips for coping with CRPS or chronic pain?
The Using the Spoon Theory To Explain Chronic Illness article is an Infographic that explains all about the Spoon Theory.
One of the most frustrating things about living with a chronic illness is the struggle to get able-bodied people to understand the extent of your pain. That very problem was what prompted lupus patient Christine Miserandino to concoct the Spoon Theory to help explain chronic illness, which is a striking metaphor that has since been adopted globally as the most vivid interpretation of life with chronic illness.
Our Spoon Theory infographic details what the Spoon Theory actually is, which chronic illnesses the Spoon Theory can be applied to, how the ‘spoons’ are used during the day, some advice for ‘spoonies’ and the Spoon Theory from ‘spoonies” perspectives.
As you can see above in our top 12 articles on CRPS and chronic pain you need to read, there is a wide range of articles on living with CRPS and chronic pain as well as articles on self managing your pain.
Sometimes just knowing there is support out there to help you when you need it can be a comfort. Burning Nights CRPS Support has a number of support services apart from the website and blog that can be accessed.
Educating yourself about your own condition and the ways you can self manage your pain is important.
However there are obviously many more articles and infographics to read in our blog section of the website and also the various living with CRPS articles including self management, psychological support, alternative therapies and more.
Have you read any of our top 12 articles? Which are your favourite articles that we’ve written? Don't forget to share our articles!
Written: 04/02/2020
Last Updated: 04/02/2023