When you have been suffering from chronic pain in your arms or legs for a prolonged period of time, you may think that that is just the way you will always feel and try to grit your teeth and bear it. However, if you see a neurologist, you may come to find out that you are suffering from a rare disorder known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS for short). This condition can occur after an injury or stroke as well as from other causes. Once you have this diagnosis, the next step is to get to know your treatment options and get started trying to feel better as soon as possible.

Topical and Oral Pain Medication

Generally speaking, your neurologist and family practice doctors will want you to try to treat your CRPS in the most minimally invasive way first, before moving on to more intensive treatment options. They do this to protect your health and well-being as well as to prevent you from needless additional pain and stress.

As such, the first line of treatment for CRPS is usually a form of either prescription or over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications. Ibuprofen and other such over-the-counter options can help manage pain when the condition flares up and are generally safe to use in small doses.

However, because of the risk of stomach upset and other side effects to such medications, some doctors prefer to have you try topical pain medication creams. These topical creams are applied directly to your arms or legs and rubbed into the skin where the pain is most intense. The cream will help dull or numb the pain so you can go about your daily life.

Infusion Therapy and Nerve Blocks

Infusion therapies and nerve blocking medications are used when the pain is more intense and does not respond to the aforementioned topical and oral medications. Nerve blocks are a specific type of injection of numbing medications directly into the central nervous system through the spine. These treatments target specific nerve areas in the lumbar or cervical spine to attempt to block the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.

Infusion therapy, on the other hand, is a type of treatment that involves an IV drip of medications directly into the bloodstream. These infusions can happen a few times a year or more frequently if needed. The medications used can have several effects that help with CRPS which include anesthetic (numbing) properties and nerve receptor blocking.

These are just a few of the treatment options available to you for your CRPS. If you and your neurologist try these options with minimal effect, there are also spine surgeries and other treatments that you can try as more aggressive forms of treatment. So, now that you know more about a few of your treatment options, you can get started in the process and, hopefully, begin feeling better as soon as possible.

For IV therapy, contact a company such as Metabolix Wellness.